The Final Kindred Spirit
by KittyoftheNight
Summary: A young girl named Tatsumi Rikota, is thrown into a world of war and magic, though as a result she may soon find herself trapped and possibly without a way to return. Though with her new found powers, she might have a way. FolkenxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Escaflowne**

**~The Final Kindred Spirit~**

**Chapter 1**

I lay still, resting in a field, the clouds rolling by in the sky. My name is Tatsumi Rikota…and I am a kindred spirit. I live my life day to day, taking it one day at a time. Ever since I was 12, I've lived in dreams, resting my spirit, and hiding from the world. Here in this field..this is my dream.

**Back in Reality**

I lay there in my bed asleep, the clock ticking away as always, and silence echoing around me. This house holds the memories I loved, the memories of my past that I now dwell on. This is all I have left, my parents gone, leaving the house to me as I live my life. Where are my parents you ask? Well, they are no longer here. My mom died when I was 12 and my dad is always traveling, so I never see him. He sends me money every month, but that's all, so I'm left by myself.

I slowly open my eyes, coming out of my dream as I come back to reality and myself. I look at the clock at my bedside, the time reading 11:33 as it sits there unmoving. Sigh. "Another day, another breath. Another day in this empty house…" I slowly sit up, brushing the hair from my face as I do, sitting there for a moment before I place my feet on the floor. Downstairs, I eat my breakfast, the smell of buttered toast and juice around me, filling my nose as I swallow each bit. Every day, it's the same, nothing ever changes…nothing ever will. That is why I sleep, I sleep to fade away, I fade away without worries or fear because I know that it will never change. Every time I sleep, I fade away; sometimes I even fade away to where I'm with my mother, standing there, still inside her arms.

The water runs as I wash the dishes, cleaning them as I put them away, the glass plates seated inside one cabinet and the cups in another, once again, it never changes. I go to pick up the phone as it rings, holding it to my ear as I hear a voice on the other side. "Tatsumi, my dear, how are you?" the voice of a man asks, his voice worn and gruff.

"Dad?" It was my father.

"Yes, it's me, I'm calling to check up on you…" he paused for a moment before continuing "and to tell you that I'm coming home for a bit." My grip loosened on the phone, I couldn't believe it, he was actually coming home, after being gone for so long he was actually coming home. I heard a voice in the background, I couldn't hear what they were saying though "I'm sorry honey, I have to go, but I'll see you in a few days" then he hung up, I frowned.

"…Bye dad..." sigh. He didn't even let me say good bye. Well, at least he's coming home, I smiled slightly at the thought "It's been so long" I placed the phone back on the hook as I grab my shoes and go outside. "I guess I should get some more food then, maybe I'll make a cake or something" I smile a bit "yes…he'd like that" and so, I set off to the store.

I stand there in front of the shelves, browsing the aisles as I grab what I need and checking it off my list. "Ok, milk...Check. Eggs check. Sugar, check." I grab two loafs of bread "bread, check. Hm…what else? Coffee! I need coffee" I smile as I look through all of the coffee, spotting what I was looking for, Hazel nut, dad's favorite. I pick it up, holding it for a moment, thinking back to when I was small.

**~Flashback~**

I ran down the steps, a smile plastered on my face "Daddy, Daddy!" He chuckles.

"What is it cupcake?" he sat there at the table, coffee in hand, the paper on the table. I grinned as I ran to him, hoping on his lap.

"I lost another tooth" I said showing it to him "See, see?" He smiled down at me, a warm look in his eyes.

"Yes, I see, and do you know what that means?" I shook my head no as he told me.

"It means you're starting to be a big girl now" he said as he smiled down at me again. A thought popped into my head.

"Can big girls try daddy's drink?" he chuckled again as he place a hand on top of my head.

"Of course" With that, he grabbed his mug and brought it to rest in my tiny hands. I smiled up at him, a toothless grin, two teeth missing, creating that funny smile. I took a gulp from it, my face scrunching up as I stuck my tongue out, this caused him to laugh "I knew you would be that way" I gave the cup back to him, a questionable look on my small face.

"How can daddy like that stuff? It's icky!" He gave a hearty laugh.

"Because I can" he smiled down at me, ruffling my hair.

**~End Flashback~**

"How I miss those times…" I gave a sad smile as I placed the bag of coffee in the cart, I finished up and headed to the register, paying for my stuff and heading back home. I watched as a bird flew overhead, free to do as it pleases...How I wish I could be like that, to fly around without a care in the world. That's when I heard it, a song…it was beautiful, a woman's voice echoing. The wind blew through my hair as I let out a peaceful sigh. I then thought of my dad and ran home, waiting for when he would come home…but he never did. The phone rang a few days later, I ran to it, hoping it was my dad to tell me he was on his way "Dad? Where are you? Are you almost here?" I couldn't wait.

"Listen honey, I'm sorry…something came up and…I can't come home" I frowned, sadness taking hold of me, sorrow taking its place.

"Why did you even bother to call…?" there was silence on the other end for a moment.

"Wha-what do you mean? I don't understand" I just shook my head.

"Why do you even bother to call? You never come home…" my voice was sad.

"Honey…"

"…just leave me alone…it's never going to change…"

"I..I'm sorry, I thought…" his voice was sad, I could hear him go silent. "I..understand…I guess we'll talk some other time..good bye" What have I done? I slowly walked outside, onto the porch.

"What have I done? I'm such an idiot...for saying that to him" I started to regret every word "I'm so stupid for hurting him like that…just go away. I'm so stupid! Just fade away…god, why did I do that!?" a few tears rolled down my face. "Someone please..help me" that's when I heard it, a voice, a man's voice.

"Yes, let everything fade away…" I followed the voice, walking toward the park, the evening sun starting to set. "Let this sad world…let everything fade away…" I walked forward, my eyes catching that of a man, a man covered in a black cloth, a hood over his head and his mouth covered. The only real part that I could see of him was his eyes, nose, and a few strands of hair; everything else was cloaked in black. His eyes connected with mine, locking our gaze with one another "Come…my kindred spirit" he raised his hand, extending it forward "Come to this land from the world beyond…" I took a few more steps forward, my gaze still locked with his as his strong voice sounded once more. "Come join me…my chosen one…."

Does he mean me? Maybe…maybe he can help me "You are the goddess….that will fulfill the destiny of our world..our war….our world…Gaia…welcome you…" his hand still stayed out stretched as I slowly walked forward, my eyes never leaving his, nor his mine as a dark shadow flew across us. His eyes seemed to draw me closer, until I was right in front of him. My hand slowly made its way to his as he grasped it firmly. I stood there as all my energy seemed to drain from my body, my knees buckling causing me to sit upon the ground, one hand in front of me as he still held my other in a firm grip, a slight grin on his face maybe, though it was covered.

"What's…happening….?" Water started flow around both of us as he held my hand. It came up, eventually rising above my head, the man's grip seemed to slacken a bit as I was pulled away, falling through the water and into its depths. Someone…help…..me…….darkness then came over me.

All I can feel is falling, I'm falling through an endless sky of nothing as my subconscious has hold of me. What happened? Where am I? Those are a few questions that I was asking, the last thing I remember…was that man in black, he was hypnotizing..his voice. I remember my father, then all the pain starts to return. Yes…that's why I am here, where ever 'here' is.

I slowly felt myself coming to, but…something didn't feel right, I was in…water or something. I slowly open my eyes, my vision blurry and a silhouette of a person standing below me, yes, I was above the ground in some sort of container. I open my mouth to breathe, air bubbles escaping and the liquid filling my mouth with a strange taste. I banged on the glass a few times, then all of a sudden it started to drain, allowing me to rid myself of the liquid. That's when I noticed it, a pair of eyes, familiar eyes to be more specific, the same eyes that brought me here. It was strange as my hand lay on the glass, our eyes connected once more like they had done before, this time, he was the one that walked forward, taking a few steps closer to where I was. I opened my mouth to say something, but I was at a loss for words, I couldn't speak, and that's when it happened, the glass suddenly opened up beneath my feet, allowing me to fall through. Just as I thought I was going to hit the ground, I was stopped. I opened my eyes, to find that of another or rather the person I had locked eyes with, I realized that he had caught me and was now holding me in his arms, but I couldn't seem to move, like before, my energy seemed to drain from me, but this time, my vision went blind and I fell into darkness once more. (déjà vu huh?)

_I laid there, somewhere in a dream, my thoughts floating to my mother and father, to when I was small. It was back to the time when we spent the summer in a small cottage, when my mother was still alive, and my father was around. I ran around outside, playing near the creek, throwing all the stones I could find, the water rippling each time one was tossed in, and then calming back down to a steady flow. That was my favorite spot at the cottage, I would go to the creek and play, splashing in the water. My mother would call out when it was time to come inside for dinner, but I didn't always listen, my father would have to come and get me, sometimes throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me inside, always laughing. My mother would always laugh with us, a smile on her face. I remember when my dad gave me a big bear hug as I sat in his lap, the both of them always trying to get me to eat just a little bit more. But it wasn't always fun and games, there was a storm that came through one night…I remember waking up to the loud booms of thunder, lightning all around. My mom came running into my room, pulling me to her as she took me out into the hall with my father, that's when a tree came down on the roof, crushing it along with me and my mother. I remember feeling the pain in my body, my mother on top of me, taking the worst of it as my fathers shouts rang out. The next thing I remember, is being in a hospital, bandages wrapped around my head, some on my arms and legs. I remember the beeping sounds that the machines made, I remember feeling scared, my father came in, running to me._

_"Tatsumi…my little Tatsumi" I watched as a few tears rolled down his face._

_"Daddy? Where is Mommy?" I asked, my voice tired and sore, but he didn't say anything as he held me, so I asked again. "Where is Mommy, Daddy?" it just seemed to bring him more tears, that's when I knew that something had happened…something awful, that's when I started to cry too. That was the last time we ever went to the cottage…the last time I ever saw my mother. After that, my father started working all the time, trying to escape from the pain. You would think that after something like that, he would be there for me a bit more…but no, it didn't work that way. I remember crying myself to sleep at nights, nobody was there to hear me as I cried my heart out every time, wanting to reach out for someone…anyone. That's why I started sleeping more, that became_ _my way to escape my loneliness at times, if only for a while, and feel a little more at peace. That's how I was able to visit my mother at times, the only way to sooth my broken heart._

That's when I started to wake up, coming back to the world and myself once more as I laid there, tears laying wet on my face. I was…crying. It's been so long since I've dreamt of that…the night my mother died. My thoughts were cut off as a cough sounded in the room, announcing someone's presence, making me turn my head in their direction. My eyes landed on that of a man, the very same that I've seen time and time again. "Who…who are you?" I questioned, actually being able to talk this time. I watched as he got up from his chair, walking forward with a slight smile on his face.

"I, am Lord Folken, leader of the newly formed Black Dragon Clan, and you…are the goddess" he stopped, standing in front of me, this time actually allowing me to take in his features. He was tall, with long bluish silver hair, and deep brown eyes. He also wore what looked like the attire for which someone of a noble family would wear, and his strides seemed to be well placed with every step that he took, he was interesting to say the least. He asked something, but I didn't hear it.

"Hm?" he asked again.

"What is your name?" I looked at him for a moment.

"My name?" he nodded.

"Yes, your name"

I looked away for a moment "My name…is Tatsumi, Tatsumi Rikota" I looked back up at him as I finished.

"Tatsumi…" it sounded so different when he said it, as though he were trying it out for a few moments. He then brought his gaze back to mine, locking our eyes as before, moving a bit closer as he brought his arm up, placing his hand underneath my chin as he looked down at me "Interesting…" I was confused by his words.

"What?" I looked up at him.

"I have to say…you are truly interesting…far different from the wing goddess" I was completely lost now, I was going to ask him what he meant, but he spoke first "You should get some more rest, I'm sure that you are still tired" I blinked a few times, about to protest, but all of a sudden, my energy seemed to be drained from me once more, my eyes slowly closing, unable to stay open as I fell asleep once more. He fixed me properly in the bed, pulling the blanket up before leaving "Sweet dreams…my dear Tatsumi…"

_Once more, I was back in darkness, floating in the quiet of my mind, back to my memories once more. "Daddy, Daddy where is Mommy? I-I want to see Mommy" my voice cracked as I cried on my father, his arms wrapped tight around my small form._

_"I'm sorry Tatsumi…but..Mommy…didn't make it" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, my mother…was gone._

_"M-mommy…mommy!" I cried my heart out, crying for my mother as my father held me close to him, trying to comfort my cries of pain and sorrow…she was gone. The funeral wasn't much of a funeral, both sets of grandparents died long ago, and there were only a few family friends. You see, my mother said that when she died, she wanted to be cremated and her ashes left on the wind…we honored her wishes, though there is still a tombstone in memory of her. The only thing that I have of her, is a necklace she gave me when I was small, it consisted of a beautiful blue stone (think Hitomi's necklace but blue) She always told me that it was special, and that one day it would help me do something important, something that would help many. I never really understood her though, but I still wear it everyday, I never take it off. After a while, everything seemed to fade into darkness, allowing me to finally rest in peace._

I lay there in bed, silent all around as I slowly open my eyes, expecting things to be the way that they always are…expecting to see my room and clock ticking away like always, but it wasn't there. No, this was not my home, this was different by far.


	2. Chapter 2

**Escaflowne**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 2**

As I looked around, I found the room to be quite simple. It had the normal furnishing that you would see with any room, a bed, which I was currently laying in, a night stand, lamp, a small shelve with about 10 to 20 books on it, and also a two doors. I set there for a moment, just questioning what I was doing here, things seemed to be a bit fuzzy if you will. So, finally willing myself out of bed, I swung my legs to the side, slowly setting my bare feet on the floor, drawing them back immediately upon feeling the cold. Why is it so cold? I looked at it, and it seemed to be a mixture of stone and tile of sorts. So, calming down, I once again set my feet on the floor, ignoring the tremindous cold and standing up out of bed. I took another look around as I shivered, cold air around me, causing me to rub my arms for warmth. "So..cold…" that's when I saw a black cloth laying drapped over a chair as I stepped forward, I took it into my hands for a moment "it's so soft..and warm too" I smiled a bit, finding something warm to wrap around myself to keep me warm, pulling it around my body, taking step toward the nearest door, allowing my hand to rest on the knob. My fingers seemed to shack lightly as they wrapped themselves around the knob of the door, slowly turning it, the door creeking as I pull it open, slowly revealing the world outside this room. My hand slowly slipped from the knob as my feet moved forward, guiding me into what would be a grand hall. There were no words to describe what I was seeing. Before me, stood a long winding hallway of stone and high ceiling, gray stone pillars.

**Back on Earth**

A man stood at the air port, luggage in hand, a woman standing by his side. "Honey, tell me why we're going again? I mean, she said not to bother, didn't she?" the woman asked, her short brown hair sticking out in different places.

"Yes, but…I don't want things to end like this. I've neglected her for so many years, especially after her mother died. It's time that I made things right, and became a father again..a proper father to her."

**Back on Gaia**

I walked down the halls, my feet treding lightly upon the cold stone floors. ~_It seems to go on forever…_~ Finally, I found myself staring at a set of huge metal double-doors, intricate cravings etched into the black metal of the doors. My hand slowly traced along it, feeling each bump and curve, the smooth metal. Suddenly, the doors creeked open, leaving just enough room for someone to enter…for _me_ to enter, and so I did. I walked forward, my eyes shifting, gazing around me. I was in a throne room of sorts, or at least that's what it looked like anyway. There was a chair at the end of a roll of carpet, rather a throne chair if you will; black was the chair. There were windows on either side of me in this great room, large windows, stretching from the floor to the high ceiling. Tapestries also lined the walls, decorating them in their splendor. ~_Wow…this place is beautiful_~

"What are you doing in here?" I jumped, startled by the voice and fell backwards as my foot caught the cloth wrapped around me.

"Ow…" I groaned lightly as my back made contact with the cold, hard floor. All I heard was the sound of footsteps walking toward me as I lay there on the floor. Only then did I open my eyes as the footsteps stopped, still only to come in contact with that familiar person. He looked at me for a moment, before crouching down in front of me, his arms resting on his knees.

"What are you doing in here?" once again he asked that question, staring down at me, his eyes glancing at the cloth that was draped around me. He seemed to recognize it. "I see that you've found use in that old shroud of mine" only then did I truly realize what it was, yes it was the same one, the one that he was wearing upon him when I had first come across him.

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't realize" he put his hand up to stop me, before proceeding to speak.

"There is no need for apology, especially from that of you. I am merely glad that you've come to make use of it" he looked at me for a moment, realizing my attire and disposition as I lay there on the floor. Slowly, he reached his hand out to me, our eyes connecting once more. ~_Those eyes…_~ I didn't even realize that I was now standing in front of him, his hand still grasping mine firmly in his. It was then that things seemed to change, no longer left in this state of time.

**Flash back**

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?" the voice seemed to echo in my head as things began to fall into place. I stood there, a little girl as I stared at a person in front of me. It was a boy, a bit older than me; he seemed almost transparent to my eye.

"Who are you?" this time, it was his voice that sounded the question as I, unknowingly stood before him, transparent in his view as well. I stood there clothed in a little white dress, a bit of dirt and grass staining it, along with a scrapped knee. He on the other hand, stood there clothed in blue and dressed fine. His light blue hair seemed to add to it.

"Who are you?" we both asked, our voices resonating in the air as we did. It was so strange how our voices connected, almost as if we were one…

**End Flashback**

"Tatsumi?"

"Tatsumi?"

"Tatsumi!?" my eyes flickered up ward as I sat on the floor, Folken kneeling in front of me, a hand on my shoulder. "Tatsumi…" I felt light headed, no balance at all, only the feeling of being numb. "Tatsumi…?" he voice came again, but I found myself unable to respond as he brought his other arm up, his hand coming to my face and lifting it slightly. ~_I can't move, what's going on?_~ All that I could feel was a warmth starting to burn on my chest as he looked down at me, my face unchanging. As I looked at him, his face turned somewhat curious and uncertain while I felt my skin start to burn upon my chest, pain pricking at my skin. He seemed to sense the problem, placing his hand upon my chest, feeling some there, something burning hot. The moment he touched it, a bright blue light spread out, enveloping the room, with us in it.

Colors swirled around us as time seemed to set still, and his figure seemed to disappear from in front of me. ~_What's happening? Where did he go?_~ I still found myself unable to move as I set there, images flashing around me. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the sound of cannons firing. I quickly ducked as it went over my head. "Holy crap!" ~_Ok, where the HELL am I now!?_~ I barely had time to move as something else flew at me, hitting me in the chest hard as I stood, but it seemed to go straight threw me "Ugh.." at that moment, I felt my necklace cut into my skin, pain seering inside me. It wasn't long, before I heard someone calling from a far, a voice echoing almost.

"T..su…" it was muffled almost "T..s….o..?" ~_What?_~ The voice slowly became clearer as things started to disappear, but not before having something cut my cheek.

"Tatsumi?" ~_What?_~ "Tatsumi!?" It was Folken, he was calling out my name, his figure slowly returning as I stood there, my hand clutching my chest. His form became clear as day as he called out once more, my knees know deciding to buckle beneath me, scared. He quickly caught me, holding me up "Tatsumi?" he asked again, looking down at me. I didn't respond. He looked at me, noticing the cut on my cheek, his expression became slightly confused for a moment. "I think I should get you back to bed" he said, carefully picking me up, and walking back down through the hallway. Eventually, he stopped in front of a door, the very same door I first came from and opened it. At this point, I had already fallen asleep, unable to support my once conscious mind as he laid my body on the bed, pulling the sheets over me like he had once before. It was only then that he truly noticed the object upon my chest as it peeked at the top of my shirt, shining with a faintly blue glow. Slowly, he reached his hand forward, picking it up in his hand as he held it. "What's this?"

There in his hand, set a blue stone, decorated in silver on top and bottom, with a ring shaped hole at the top. It hung loosely upon a black woven cord that lay round my neck, and the stone itself was only about the size of my thumb. He held an unknown expression on his face as he looked down at the stone, before reajusting his eyes to fall on me "So…you really are her after all?" he asked, mainly to himself as he slowly released the stone, letting it fall upon my chest. He stood there for a while, before going to the door and leaving, a few things in particular on his mind.

Eventually, I woke up. I figured it was around morning now, or at least that's what it felt like. You wouldn't be who I found in the room upon opening my eyes. Lord Folken himself, heset in a chair in the corner of the room asleep, his head bowed lightly as he set there. Slowly, I got up, my feet resting lightly on the floor. I made my way forward slowly, coming forward until I stood just inches in front of him before leaning forward slightly. I leaned forward, getting a better look at his face. He was actually quite handsome to be honest, so much so that it was kind of strange. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice him open his eyes, turning them to look up at me. "What are you doing?" he asked, causing me to jump slightly.

"You seem to ask that question a lot" I said, looking at him for a moment.

"Yes, and you still have yet to answer it." This caused me to blush faintly, realizing that it was true. "Well?" he asked again. I glanced at him for a moment.

"I was…looking" I told him, before looking away and sitting back down on the bed. He rose an eyebrow at my answer.

"Looking at _what_ exactly?"

"Nothing in particular." That was all that I told him as I left us in an awkward silence. I watched him as he stood up, staring at me, before reaching his hand out to me.

"I want to show you something." That's all he told me as he continued to stand there, his hand outreached to me. I took his hand quietly, letting him pull me up to stand in front of him. He looked down at me for a moment, before motioning me to follow him as he turned to walk out the door.

I followed behind him quietly as we walked down the halls. It was as if they never ended, just a long forboding continuence. Finally, after what seemed like forever, we came to a set of doors. I stood there, looking at them curiously as he opened them, a light creeking sounding from them as a result. He then pulled me inside with him, closing the doors behind us. I gasped lightly upon seeing what was in front of us. It looked like a giant machine of some sort. "What…what is this thing?" I asked as I continued to stare at the thing. He merely came up behind me, placing his hands lightly on my shoulders as he spoke "_This_, this is Dragon Armor."


	3. Chapter 3

**~Escaflowne~**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 3**

Dragon armor…such a strange name, but then again, what wasn't strange? I continued to stare at it in awe. It was huge. Quietly, I opened my mouth to speak. I turned to him a bit, though my eyes stayed locked onto the giant machine. "Can we…I mean...can I…" I couldn't seem to find the words for it.

"Would you like to take a closer look?" he asked, seeming to smile almost. I nodded quickly with excitement. "Very well then. Come." With that, he led me down various sets of stairs and railings, along with the occasional boards to cross. Finally, we were standing in front of it.

"Wow…" I whispered quietly as Folken came up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders as he brought his lips close to my ear.

"Would you like to see inside?" he asked. I nodded entranced by the thing. It was so different and mysterious. After a moment, he walked forward, climbing up it a bit. "Rantou! Welcome our new guest!" he yelled up to the large machine, after a moment, it opened up. Folken smiled lightly down at me. "Come Tatsumi" he said, holding his hand out to me. I walked forward, climbing up to him and taking his hand, allowing him to pull me up further; closer to him. That's when the cockpit was revealed to me, but the controls, I wasn't really sure about. I looked up at him and he gave me a short nod, allowing me to climb inside it. The space wasn't really small, but it wasn't huge either.

"What is this thing?" I asked quietly as Folken climbed inside. As he did, I turned around to face him, standing on a small platform of sorts, not realizing something retracting forward for behind me. Folken seemed to catch it with his eyes though, though he didn't have time to stop it. I let out a startled yelp as it grabbed my arms and legs, fusing around them. "W-what is this thing!?" I shouted. He walked toward me, placing a hand on my covered arm.

"Let go of her you silly mech." he said, smacking at the thing on my arm. It seemed to loosen, but did not release me. He sighed quietly to himself, kneeling down in front of me and taking his hand behind my leg. A needle of sorts was in his hand. "Now…I said open" he said as he pushed the needle into a crevice inside the leg. Quickly, it opened up, along with the rest of them as I was granted my freedom. "I do apologize for his behavior" Folken said, looking down at me once he was standing again. I clung to Folken as the thing seemed to deliberately try and make an advance at my leg. He chuckled as a result, placing his arms around me. "Don't worry, it's nothing to worry about, this mech itself has quite the personality" he told me.

"I'm not so sure coming in here was the best idea…" I whispered quietly, but he still heard me, another chuckle coming form him.

"To be honest, I was slightly surprised when you made the request…Tatsumi" he said. There he was again, using my name. As always, it always sounded different when he said it, compared to everyone else that I'd ever met or come across.

"Why do you say that?" I asked curiously.

"Well, if you must know…most girls would merely settle with looking at it for a moment, then simply walking away" he told me, a small smirk on his face. I looked at him.

"I'm not like most girls…" I said quietly, before walking to the edge of the cockpit and jumping down. Granted, my feet saw the mistake as I landed in a crouched position, my knees bent.

"After performing that little stunt, I would think not" he said, the sound of amusement in his voice as he looked down at me, before doing the same thing that I had. He landed beside me, knees bent close to the ground. "Although, you still have much to learn my little Tatsumi" he said. This made me freeze up, a tear falling down my face. The only person who had ever called me that…was my father. '_My little Tatsumi_' he would say to me as a child. A moment later, I felt the warmth of a hand on my face, whipping my tear away. Quickly, I stammered back, falling to the floor. I had my eyes cast down at the ground. I started to shake as I thought about my father.

"I…I have…to get home…my father…I have to…my father…" tears slide down my face as I started to cry in despair. As I set there, I just couldn't help and think of my father. Thinking of how I needed to apologize to him. I felt so horrible… I was so caught up in crying, that I never noticed Folken kneeling down in front of me. I only took notice to him when his hands came to rest upon my shoulders.

"He abandoned you, did he not?" Folken asked, looking down at me as I dared to look at him. "He did" he said. I nodded quietly, feeling more tears come to my eyes. He looked at me, an idea sparking in his eyes. "Why don't I take you out to see this world?" he asked, smiling slightly down at me. I looked at him, before nodding lightly. Gently, he whipped my tears, standing up and pulling me up with him. "Come with me then" he said, pulling me back up into Rantou, the lock closing behind us. I looked at him for an answer, not sure of what to do as he walked over to the platform, stepping up onto it. He motioned me to come to him and so I did, not being able to look away from those dark eyes of his. He held his right hand out to me and I took it, standing in front of him now. "Rantou, transform!" he called.

Suddenly, the machine started to shift, causing me to back up into Folken slightly. He didn't seem to mind that much though. The mech itself, transformed into what one would think to resemble a dragon. "What is this thing?" I asked, looking at it before turning to look a Folken.

"This, is Rantou" he said calmly, his grip on two handles connected by strong wire. A steering mechanism? I thought quietly to myself. As though catching on to my thoughts of curiosity, Folken spoke up.

"This is the steering mechanism for Rantou. Would you like to try Tatsumi?" he asked, staring at me, a glint of amusement in his eyes as I jumped at the opportunity. He stood behind me, letting me take hold of the handles, but still holding on lightly to the handles and my hands incase they accidentally slipped. He pulled on both, allowing the mech to fly out of the hanger, and into the sky. I gave out a slight squeal as I saw how high up we were. I gulped, looking down.

"Oh Lord…" I said, faintly above a whisper, but Folken still heard it.

"Do you not like heights, my little Tatsumi?" he asked, making me shutter slightly. He said 'my little Tatsumi' again…and…yes…I was sort of uncomfortable with heights. I heard him chuckle lightly. "Would you rather I take over then?" he asked, leaning over me a bit, his hands tightening around mine slightly.

"N-no…I've got it" I said, holding onto the handles. He then leaned down a bit to my ear.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you've piloted one of these before…Tatsumi" he whispered quietly into my ear. I shivered a bit in response. I wasn't used to having guys this close to me, not at all.

"Um…I…" I couldn't seem to think of anything to say. I mean, yeah, of course I've never piloted one of these before. I've never piloted anything, except for maybe a bike, but that's really not something that you pilot. I sighed quietly, keeping my gaze ahead of me. It was really was strange though, how this seemed to be so easy to me.

"Perhaps you're just a natural born pilot?" he said, more than asked, quietly letting go of the handles. I gulped lightly, the fact that he was completely releasing this to me, it was slightly unnerving. All of a sudden, some turbulence kicked in, almost throwing me to my feet. I yelped in surprised as Folken quickly took hold of my hands, guiding the mech a bit higher. We both let out a sigh of relief as the turbulence went away. I swallowed hard, before turning my head to look at him.

"Why…why don't you take hold of this? I-I think I've had enough for now" I told him, releasing the controls over to him and sitting down at his feet. Subconsciously, I leaned back, resting against his legs. He didn't really seem to mind though, since he made no move or sign to correct me in my actions. So quietly, I closed my eyes, just letting my mind drift. "_Daddy_" I whispered quietly, without even realizing it. Folkens ears picked up on it though, causing him to look down at me. All he saw, was the fact that my eyes were closed, mouth slightly agape.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking down at me. Quietly, I looked up at him, my vision really not in place. I blinked a few times, but it wouldn't go away, so I had to lie.

"Yes…I'm fine…Lord Folken" I said quietly, respect holding in my voice as I spoke to the man standing behind me.

"Hm…" I could tell that he didn't completely believe me, but there was really nothing that I could do about it at the moment though, so I just let it go. He did the same thing, at least for now anyway.

It wasn't long, before I started feeling light headed, the sensation taking over quite quickly. Folken seemed to catch site of this. He stood there for a moment though, messing with the controls before letting them go. He then knelt down beside me, the feeling of his hand on my shoulder, soon becoming apparent to me.

"Tatsumi" he spoke my name calmly, but I didn't respond to it. My voice itself seemed to have disappeared all together as he set there before me, staring at me. What surprised me though, even though I could not seem to speak or see properly, I saw something present in his eyes. It was as though a question in particular laid unspoken, unasked, unanswered. I found this to be quite odd. If only I could find a way to speak, I thought to myself. It shouldn't be that hard and yet, I couldn't find a single word. This was so strange. Although, we both found it even stranger when we noticed my now glowing pendant necklace.

_What's happening?_ Everything just seemed to swirl around me. Nothing was wanting to stay still at all, not even Lord Folken who was seated before me. It was actually amazing that I wasn't throwing up yet. Then, when I thought things weren't already bad enough, the mech that we were on suddenly started to malfunction. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the stone was causing all of this, but that didn't make any sense. How could the stone be causing all of this? Better yet, why was all of this even happening? I then thought to myself that I would have been better off back at home. Then as if sensing my desire to be somewhere else, the stone grew even brighter, enveloping me in its light.

I felt strange as though I were floating in mid air, nothing around me. It was as if everything around me had just disappeared, leaving me there, just floating in pure nothingness. Then, almost as soon as it had come, it disappeared. It was then that I found myself laying in a field, wind blowing gently against my face. The dizziness and light headed feeling that I had had just moments before was now gone, a more easy feeling now in its place. "Where am I?" I whispered to myself, surprised to hear my voice once more. I swear, nothing seemed to make any sense in this place at all.

I looked out around me, my eyes staring at strange animals. I had never seen such animals in my life. The only one that I found to be remotely familiar, was what looked to be a single sheep in the distance. Other than that, nothing. "Such a strange place" I breathed out, now, staring at nothing in particular.

"Hey! You in the field!" I heard someone yell out from what seemed to be a young mans voice. I turned my head, searching for where the voice had come from. "What do you think you're doing?" they asked, coming closer. I then saw the person in which the voice belonged. What in the world? I thought to myself when I saw him. He looked like some sort of wolf man. I soon found myself backing up as he came closer, his dark eyes staring straight at me.

"W-who are you?" I asked, stuttering a bit. He then looked at me for a moment, before speaking.

"I believe that would be something that I should be asking you" he said, standing there, towering over me. Out of the corner of me eye, I saw another one coming towards us.

"Hey, Daluk, what's going on?" the new creature asked, addressing the one before me. The one now known as Daluk spoke.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out Kal" he said. I noticed that Kal seemed to be a bit younger than Daluk, but it didn't really matter that much to me.

"Well, its obvious that you're getting no where" Kal said, kneeling down in front of me. "Hi, I'm Kal. What's your name?" he asked, smiling at me. I hesitated for a moment, before opening my mouth.

"T-Tatsumi…" I said quietly, staring at him.

"Tatsumi huh? That's a cute name, never heard of it before, but it's still cute" he said, his tail wagging a bit in excitement. I found this funny for some reason, though I didn't really know why I found it funny. "So, whatcha doin' all the way out here in the fields Tatsumi?" he asked, staring at me, a smile still on his face. Well, he seems friendly enough, I thought to myself.

"I…I don't know" I admitted, looking down, slightly ashamed.

"You don't know? How could you not know when you're sitting right here?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

"I don't know how I got here" That seemed to throw him for a loop the moment that it came out of me mouth. Great, now they're going to look at me and think that I'm nuts. Perfect…just perfect. And then, once again as if things couldn't get any worse.

"Hey Kal! Heads up!" someone shouted, before something flew over Kal's head and smacked straight into mine. As a result, I flew backwards, now holding my face.

"Jilun!" Kal yelled, now annoyed at the person.

"Sorry, I didn't hit you did I?" Jilun asked, a bit worried.

"No, you didn't hit me, but you hit someone else" Kal told her.

"Oh no…I'm so sorry" she said kneeling down beside me, trying to get a better look at my face.

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**Ok everyone, there's chapter 3 FINALLY. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Also, PLEASE REVIEW? I don't have any reviews for this story and I'd really like to know what you think about it so far. Please and thank you. Pleasent reading. Byebye.**

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	4. Chapter 4

**Escaflowne**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 4**

I swear, I seriously need to stop jinxing myself, before I end up getting myself killed! I couldn't believe that I had actually gotten hit in the face. Man did that hurt… Hopefully, this girl didn't brake my nose. At this point, being around Lord Folken seemed safer, at least I know that he wouldn't throw things at me. At least I would hope not.

"Jilun, move before you cause any more damage" Kal said, pulling the girl away from me.

"Hey Daluk, why is she here anyway?" Jilun asked, looking up at her tall friend. Both Kal and Daluk sighed.

"Well, we were about to find out when your Darkurn ball hit her in the face" Daluk informed her with an exasperated sigh. Kal kneeled down next to me.

"Hey, are you okay Tatsumi?" Kal asked me, placing a furry hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head quietly, staring at the three of them. I think I'm slowly losing my mind…

Meanwhile, Lord Folken was pacing back and forth in his room. At the moment, he was thoroughly annoyed and frustrated. He had been the one to summon me here and now I was gone. The only good thing about it was that he knew that I was still on Gaia… somewhere anyway. Now, his problem was finding me. He sighed quietly, before kneeling down in front of his bed, hands resting on the wooden frame of it. He then touched his forehead to it, closing his eyes and concentrating. "Where are you my little Tatsumi?" he whispered quietly as he tried to focus his mind. He seemed to be in some sort of trance as he set there, soul intent on locating me.

Time went by as he searched the planet with his mind, focusing his powers as much as possible. Finally, he came across something that made him smile. "Adom" he whispered "the village of Adom…and Van" he spoke quietly, his eyes slowly opening as he stared at the foot of the bed. He had finally found what he was looking for. He found me. He found me in Adom, sleeping on a small bed, hands curled slightly with my nails pressing against my palms.

I laid there quietly, sleeping away the time around me, sleeping away into the dark nothingness of the night. I laid there in the room by myself, dreaming of home, dreaming of my father.

"_Tatsumi, how are you doing?" my father asked on a lighter note._

"_I'm fine Dad, how have you been?" I asked him, laying on my bed, phone in hand._

"_Oh, I've been quite well my dear. In fact, I've met someone too" he told me. This caused me to pause in my questioning. Met someone? Seriously? I mean…he couldn't have…could he?_

"_What's…her name?" I asked quietly, a foreign tone in my voice._

"_Her name is Tanya, she's been a great help with my work. In fact, she's my assistant now. She's helped to take a bit of stress off of my shoulders. You know how hard it is doing all of this by myself" he said, laughing a bit. I nodded my head slowly._

"_Yeah…I know" That was all that I said, before laying the phone down for a moment, whipping a tear from my eye._

"_Tatsumi…are you alright dear?" he asked, I could almost see his brows furrowing on the other end._

"_Yeah, I'm fine Dad. I…gotta go, okay? I'll talk to you later Dad" I said, getting up off of the bed and walking across the room._

"_Ok, but you take care now, alright?" he told me. I nodded my head, even though I knew that he couldn't see it over the phone, but still._

"_Don't worry Dad, I will, bye" I said._

"_Bye"_

_With that, I hung up the phone and walked back over to my bed. I just laid down on it, burying my head in my pillow, clutching it in my hands. "I miss you so much Mom…" I whimpered slightly upon saying this. It seemed as though it had been an eternity since she had passed away, but in reality, it had only been a few years. It didn't make things any easier though. If she were still around, then Dad would be around more. But no…she was dead…and Dad was never here._

As I laid there in sleep, I had no clue that someone was in the room watching me. I was far too deep in my dream to notice the change in space or the sinking of the bed as someone sat on it. Though I did take notice to the newly accumulated feeling of warmth placed upon my cheek. I subconsciously felt myself leaning into it, enjoying the new found warmth that had come to me. It had been so long since I had felt such a warmth. I welcomed it, enjoying it, savoring it. It was…wonderful. I wished that it could last forever, that it would never leave, that I would never move from this spot. Alas, nothing lasts forever. This caused me to frown slightly in my sleep, the warmth soon disappearing, causing me to whimper. A moment later, the warmth returned causing me to smile. I could have sworn I heard a soft chuckle after that, but dismissed it as my imagination. So warm…

A hour later in real time, I woke up to the sound of shouting, arguing. When I opened my eyes, the world was blurry to me at first, but after a moment or so, my vision cleared. What I saw startled me greatly. There before me, stood Lord Folken. He was arguing with a young boy who seemed to resemble him in a way.

"Lord Folken…?" I called out quietly, finding that I had woken up with a headache. It was then that he turned his eyes, his gaze falling upon me, smiling faintly. As I looked at him, I could have sworn that he whispered my name.

"Tatsumi…" I blinked. I must be imagining things. Then again, his lips did move and it _did_ look like he said my name. I sighed quietly, staring at him with slight curiosity, before turning my eyes on the boy in front of us.

"I told you Folken, leave here. My people do not want you here" he said. At that moment, I decided to stand, finding myself slightly dizzy. I felt my knees buckle, falling to the ground. I was surprised to find that I never touched it, looking up instead, staring into the cool eyes of Lord Folken.

"Lord…Folken" I whispered. He smiled down at me, pulling me up to rest against him.

"I will go Van, but not before taking my little Tatsumi with me" he informed the boy I now know as Van.

"What?" the young man asked, confused and slightly angry.

"You heard me Van, I'm taking her with me" Lord Folken told the boy, his grip tightening around me slightly. I looked at his arms. They were wrapped around my waist, holding me against him, but not forcefully. In fact, I didn't really mind it that much. It had been a long time since anyone had held me. Actually…the last time was possibly a year and a half after my mother died. That's pretty sad now that I think about it. So, without really thinking about it, I allowed myself to lean against Lord Folken as I closed my eyes. I could feel this strong, firm chest pressed against my back as I leaned against him. I could also feel slight pressure that increased then decreased from his chest as he breathed. It was a nice sort of feeling to be honest, no matter how strange that may seem, but it was true. Van just looked at the two of us as we stood there together, almost looking like a couple if you will. Now THAT was definitely a strange thought. Where did that come from?

Van continued to stand there for a moment, watching Folken warily. It had been a long time since he had seen his brother. In fact, everyone thought that he had been dead after Hitomi left long ago.

"Folken! How have you come to be here?" Van asked, demanding an answer from the man before him.

"Why, whatever do you mean little brother?" he asked, faint sarcasm in his voice. Brother? Well, I guess that it made since. After all, they _did_ look alike.

"You're supposed to be dead" Van said, a strange look in his eyes. Dead? But isn't he standing right her with me? Lord have mercy, once again, nothing was making much sense to me.

"That is an answer to be left for another time" he said, quickly dashing passed Van with me in his arms. Within seconds, we were standing in front of a large mech. In fact, it was the mech from before. "Raitou!" Folken called up to the machine, resulting in the hatch opening and its arm coming down in front of us. I let out a faint gasp as it did this, still not completely used to having it move on its own. Quickly, Lord Folken stepped onto the hand. The mech then pulled us up to the pilots hatch, letting us inside of it, before closing behind us.

"Lord Folken…" I whispered quietly, staring up at him with tired eyes. He just gave me a small smile in return. He then pulled me against him for a moment, before whispering into my ear. "You had me worried for a while Tatsumi. I didn't know where you had gone. It made me rather sad actually" he told me, a tone in his voice that I wasn't familiar with. Ok, this was beginning to be very strange.

Once again, the stone on my necklace started to glow, causing our eyes to widen. No…not again, I don't want to go anywhere else again. Surprisingly enough, it didn't take me anywhere as Lord Folken held onto my, arms wrapped securely around my waist. What it did do though, was show us something. As we stood there, images began to appear for us, images of an ancient past.

_A young woman and a man were running through a field of flowers. The girl herself was dancing around, laughing happily as she looked at the young man chasing after her. "Darling, slow down" he called after her as she twirled around gracefully in the field._

"_But Canin my love, I'm having so much fun" she smiled at him, before running to him. He enveloped her in his arms, holding her close and kissing her hair softly._

"_Yes, I can see that Isabelle, and you look lovely doing so" he cooed into her ear, causing her to blush faintly. She laughed softly, before shoving him playfully._

"_Catch me if you can" she said, before running quickly through the field._

"_Hey!" he shouted, before running after her. They just laughed together as they ran through the field, chasing after one another._

"_Ah! Canin!" Isabelle squealed as he caught her in his arms, laughing softly. She smiled up at Canin, before slowly leaning up a bit. In turn, Canin leaned down, meeting her in a kiss. Their lips met, locking together in a passionate kiss. The two of them were obviously in love with one another. When they finally broke apart, they smiled at each other lovingly. Isabelle's eyes sparkled in the light as she gazed up at Canin as though there was no other person in the world._

"_I love you Isabelle" he whispered in her ear as he held her._

"_I love you too Canin" she whispered back, smiling at him affectionately._

_The scene soon changed to one of violence. Mechs and dragon armor all around._

"_Isabelle, hurry!" Canin shouted, pulling her along with him as they ran. Once they ran far enough, they came to a stop as the necklace she was wearing started to glow. It was an elegant blue stone and it shone brightly._

"_Come on…please" she whispered, urging the stone to hurry. Suddenly, it was an explosion of light as a large dragon armor materialized in front of them._

"_Now hurry Isabelle" Canin said, pulling her up on the large machine. The hatch opened for them, allowing them to quickly climb inside of it. "Isabelle" Canin called as he stood of the small platform, calling for her to join him. She then came in front of him, leaning against him, her back touching his chest. It was then that the machine attached to them. It fused around each of their limbs, pressing them to one another tightly._

"_I hate it when it does this" she spoke quietly._

"_I know Isabelle, but this is the only way to operate it. If I could operate it myself, then I would. Unfortunately, this is the only mech that I know of that takes two people to operate it" he told her. She groaned as a piece fused around their midsection, pressing them even tighter to one another._

"_Just be glad that I like you so much Canin" she told him, inhaling a breath, causing her to become a bit more restricted as it tighten on her._

"_Now, let's get rid of these guys, shall we?"_

I blinked as the vision ended, finding myself suddenly exhausted. I then noticed that Folken was still behind me, holding me too him. He too looked as if he were now exhausted. "What was that?" he asked quietly, unsure of himself.

"You…saw it too?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at him. He nodded his head briefly, looking down at me. "What does it mean?" I asked in a whisper. Realization suddenly dawned on me. It had to do with the stone. The one that I wore around my neck was also in the vision. "So…this is the stone" I said to no one in particular, merely talking quietly to myself. Folken heard me though, turning his eyes on me as his arms rose up slightly, his hand gently grasping the stone around my neck. It glowed as I placed my hand on top of his. It was reacting to the two of us, but why? It didn't make any sense. We soon found ourselves staring into each other's eyes. "Lord Folken…" I whispered quietly.

"Tatsumi…" he whispered back, our eyes never leaving each other. The sound of a gun going off is what broke us out of our trance. I flinched when I heard the bullet bounce off of the mech. I'm SO glad to be inside right now.

"Lord Folken" I whimpered faintly. I never did like guns, they scared me.

Lord Folken pulled me toward the platform.

"Stand behind me Tatsumi" he told me, stretching his arms out a bit. I watched as the armor quickly attached to his limbs, fusing around them and holding onto them tightly. "Now, I want you to wrap your arms around my neck, this could get a little bumpy" he spoke, looking over his shoulder at me. I nodded my head, quickly wrapping my arms around his neck. I thanked the fact that the part I was standing on was a bit higher than his, making it easier to wrap my arms around his neck securely. Moments later we started moving, causing me to be thrown against him.

"Sorry" I whispered, only to receive a light chuckle in response.

"I told you it might be a bit bumpy, didn't I?" he asked, a faint grin on his face as he looked at me over his broad shoulder. I nodded my head meekly, staring ahead of me, a small blush rising to my now warm cheeks. I watched his eyes soften out of the corner of my eye. This made me curious. Without saying anything, I rested my head upon his shoulder, closing my eyes. He made to protest to this, which I was quite happy with. I continued to hold onto his as we moved, carefully not to choke him when we hit a large bump. I found him chuckling at this every time, he found me amusing to say the least.

I eventually found myself falling asleep against him, just resting quietly against his strong back. He didn't seem to mind this, just like everything else that I did when it came to making any sort of physical contact with him. "Tatsumi?" he called my name, but I didn't respond. He then looked over his shoulder, finding me laying there sound asleep. He smiled quietly at this, finding the sight of me asleep to be quite refreshing to him.

**Ok people there's chapter 4. I hope that everyone enjoyed it. Remember, please REVIEW? I want to know what everyone thinks of this story because I'm working very hard on it. It's hard trying to keep everything updated when I have so many active stories that I'm working on. So please, REVIEW and give me some inspiration? Cuz I really like writing this story, but I need a boost of confidence. Please and thank you. Night everybody. Byebye and pleasent reading. I'm going to bed since it's like one o'clock in the morning going on two.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Escaflowne**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 5**

I hadn't even noticed when we stopped. Though as the machine retracted from him, un-fusing and allowing him to turn around and take me into his arms. I just fell forward against him, still trapped in a silent sleep, dreaming. In my head, I was thinking about the vision that we had shared with each other. It was definitely something different, that was for sure to say the very least. Now, I just had to figure it out somehow. But how!? Lord this was going to be very, very, VERY annoying for me. I mean sure, I knew the names of these people now. Isabelle and Canin, but what are their last names? Who are they really? That was what I didn't know, but was desperately wondering about.

When I finally decided to open my eyes for a few moments, I found myself in Lord Folken's arms, walking down a hallway. I decided to just close my eyes and go back to sleep, snuggling against him subconsciously as I tried, though he noticed that I was awake and chuckled softly.

"Ah, I see that you're awake my dear" he said softly, his voice still strong. I nodded my head faintly; wanting to go back to sleep, but now found that I couldn't for some reason. "That stone of yours is one and the same dear girl" he told me quietly, causing my eyes to snap open. I looked up at him.

"You mean…" I started. He nodded his head.

"Yes. In fact, the people of Gaia have been searching for that stone for centuries" he explained, causing me to go slightly wide eyed.

"Then…the story of Granny Isabelle…she's…" I whispered incoherently to myself, but Lord Folken managed to catch it.

"Then its true…she really did make it to your world then?" it was more of a statement than a question when he said it. "That means that you must be the great, great, great, GREAT granddaughter of Isabelle Hinotama. I think that there is something that you should see Tatsumi" he told me, carrying me into what look like a library. The library itself, though filled with book, was also filled with many paintings.

"Amazing" I whispered quietly. A small smile curled onto his thin lips as I said this. Eventually, he set me down on my feet, allowing me to rest in a chair as he brought over a thick book. He set it down on the table in front of us, opening it up to a certain page. There, was a picture of a man and woman. Below it read the names "Lord Canin Akiyama and Lady Isabelle Hinotama". I traced my finger carefully over the picture, tracing it gently over the faces as I took everything in about them.

"This painting was done centuries ago, just a few years before her disappearance" Lord Folken told me, carefully placing a hand on top of mine. He removed my hand for a moment, before turning the page. This page told of her disappearance. "It's said that she disappeared in a ray of light; a result of that stone that she wore. You're stone" he explained, causing me to look down at the necklace around my neck. "It was also said, that she could summon an ancient dragon armor with that stone, one that no one had seen since the early days of Gaia. It was also the only known dragon armor to have been piloted by two people; the prince and the princess" he said, looking down at me with a strange look. "They were lovers… lovers from rivaling land. Another story also told the princess to be in origin of the Mystic Moon"

"The Mystic Moon?" I asked curiously. He nodded his head, opening his mouth to speak again.

"Yes, your world. That is what the people of Gaia know it as"

"My world? You mean Earth?" I questioned.

"Earth? I've never heard of this Earth in which you speak?" he asked. I then looked around the room for a window, finding one. I took his hand, before standing up and leading him to the window. I looked outside and saw the moon, the Earth sitting behind it.

"That blue sphere behind the moon, that's Earth" I said, pointing to it. He looked down at me curiously.

"So that is it's true name?" he asked, gazing at me. I nodded my head, smiling up at him. Unbeknownst to me, I was still holding his hand. He didn't seem to mind though, since he made no move to change things. In fact, I think I saw his eyes soften a bit as I watched his eyes travel down to our hands. I blushed lightly, trying to let go, but he held onto my hand giving it a light squeeze. I looked up at him a bit unsure, though I think I was more embarrassed than anything else at the moment though. I mean how could I not be? I was still holding his hand. I NEVER hold a guys hand. Lord how embarrassing… "Tatsumi?" he called my name.

"Yes…Lord Folken?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Would you mind doing me a favor?" he asked. This gave me a confused look on my face for which made him chuckle. "Come with me" he spoke softly, not letting go of my hand as he led me to an adjacent room, a study if you will. He let go of my hand for a moment, before pulling out a scroll and opening it, placing it down on the desk. I was a family tree. "Would you mind filling in some of the missing components?" he asked kindly, pointing to Isabelle's side which was completely blank. I nodded my head hesitantly as he handed me a quill pen. I gulped slightly, before dipping it in the ink, writing carefully as I could. I didn't completely know my family tree, but I knew some of it. I know that my great grandmother was one of five children, and before that…there was only one and then three. I put in as many names as I could. When I was done, I looked up at him with a solemn look.

"I apologize Lord Folken…this is all that I can remember" I told him, looking down at the paper as I set the quill aside. Though, when I looked over the scroll, I came across Folken's name at the bottom of the descendents on Canin's side. It was through his father that his blood traveled from Lord Canin. I looked up at Lord Folken, finding that he had been watching me.

"I am indeed of Lord Canin's descent, just as you are of Lady Isabelle's" he told me, smiling slightly as he said this. I watched silently as Lord Folken came to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "Isabelle went down in our history as the Forgotten Princess…the Forgotten Goddess…as did you" he spoke softly. "We've been searching for our forgotten princess for centuries…and finally found her" he said, whispering lightly into my ear. I felt the blood quickly rushing to my cheeks, my face going red as a result. "Tatsumi…do you remember when you were a child? That day in the woods…you saw a young boy dressed in a royal blue tunic?" he asked. My eyes went wide. How did he know about that? I never mentioned that to anyone, even my parents. "You were wearing a white dress, dirty with mud and grass when you had fallen. You had scrapped your knee and it was bleeding and sore…"

"H-how d-do you know that? I never told anyone about that day" I asked, my voice cracking. He let loose a faint chuckle, staring down at me.

"I was that boy Tatsumi…that day that we met, our worlds connected for a few moments. Our worlds connected for the first time in many years" he told me. At this point, I could no longer feel my legs. I was getting dizzy, my vision slowly going out of focus as things ran through my mind at a fast pace. Due to the new found numbness in my legs, my stance noticeably began to falter, before soon giving out on me all together. Before I could completely fall though, Folken caught me, holding me up. "Tatsumi, are you alright?" he asked, concern in his voice. This would be the first time that I would actually admit my dilemma to him and I did.

"N-no…" I whispered. You see, this would occasionally happen to me. Of course my dad wouldn't know though because he was never around. It was due to some sort of disorder that I had, though I can't really remember what it's called though.

"This is what happened earlier, isn't it?" he asked, pulling me up a bit more to get a better grip on me. I nodded faintly, ashamed to admit it. He remained silent for a moment after this, but then opened his mouth to speak again. "This happens often…doesn't it?" Once again, I nodded my head, not very happy to admit to this little piece of information. "I'd say that it's safe to assume that your father has no clue of this either?" he asked, causing me to nod yet again. Darn him for knowing so much.

"Am I that easy to read?" I asked, looking up at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Only slightly" he said, a small grin on his face. Great ... just great. I sighed.

"Lord Folken?"

"Yes Tatsumi?

"How do you know so much…?" I asked, looking off to the side. The sound of a light chuckle resonating from his voice could be heard.

"Is that _really_ what you were intending on asking me?" I nodded my head, causing him to let loose a chuckle again. I smiled faintly at the sound of his laugh, it was nice. "Well, if you really must know, I pay attention more than most people do little one. I hunger for knowledge. I also like using logic at times" he looked down at me upon saying the last part, making me narrow my eyes. He was insinuating that I didn't always use my head. "I'm joking Tatsumi" he reassured me. I sighed quietly, not really used to such conversation. In fact, it had been some time since I had actually taken the time to really talk to someone.

"Huh?" I asked quickly, realizing that I had spaced out for a moment. He just shook his head quietly.

"Never mind. Why don't I take you to your room? I'm sure that you're tired" he said, looking down at me. I nodded my head briefly, before he pulled me up a bit more. "Are you able to walk?" he asked. Hm…that's actually a very good question. Let's find out shall we?

I stood as best I could, taking a few steps forward. It seemed to work for a bit, but my footing was a bit sloppy, so he made sure to stay beside me. We walked down the hall together in silence, his hand resting upon the small of my back, making sure to catch me if I fell. Lord Folken really did seem like a nice man, that was for sure or at least he was in my opinion anyway. After a few minutes of walking, we finally came to a door.

"Here we are" he spoke calmly, opening the door for me and allowing me inside. It was the same room that he had allowed me to sleep in before. I gave him a small smile as we stepping inside of the room, closing the door behind us. "Please, sit down Tatsumi" he said, gesturing to the bed. I nodded my head, complying as I sat down on the bed, feeling it sink a bit beneath my weight. "Tell me about your world?" he asked softly, curiosity evident in his voice.

"About my world?" I asked. He nodded his head in response. "Well…its…big?" He laughed when I said this.

"I can see that Tatsumi, but tell me of the land, the people, your home" he said, eyes fixed upon me. I gulped slightly before opening my mouth.

"Well, our world it made out of 7 continents. Basically, they are large landmasses. They are North America, South American, Antarctica, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Then of course you have the Oceans. Those would be the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean. I'm sure that like us, you also have boats or ships in which you sail the water?" I asked.

"Yes, we do, along with many other inventions of transportation. Tell me of yours. What have the people of your world come up with as a means of transportation?" he asked. Lord I thought I'd fall over right then and there. There were far too many things to name, IF I could even remember them all, they were always coming up with something new.

"Well, there are so many things to name. We have things for land, sea, AND air. Some are more conventional than others mind you, but still, I don't think I could even come close to naming them all" I explained.

"Well, then tell me 3 for each?" he asked, trying to compromise. I nodded my head happily.

"Now, that I CAN do. For land we have: Cars/Automobiles, Trains, and Bicycles. For air we have: Planes, Helicopters, and Air machines like blimps or hot air balloons. Finally, for the sea, we have: Ships, Boats, Rafts, and of course anything and everything in between those" I explained all of this as I looked at him from my spot on the bed. He had been listening intently to every word that I spoke.

"Interesting, so you too have air ships?" he asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes, we do, and many different forms of them" I told him. He smiled at this. "One that I find particularly interesting is hang gliding. I've never done it before, but it looks neat" I told him.

"Hang gliding? What is this hang gliding you speak of?" he inquired. He was truly interested in finding all of this out.

"Well, um…it's kind of hard to explain. I guess it's almost like having wings in a way" the moment I said this, he seemed to understand, but there was something else present in his eyes. It was as if he were actually thinking about something in particular that had to do with that subject. "Lord Folken?" I called his name, earning his attention.

"Yes?" he asked, giving me his undivided attention. I swallowed before daring to open my mouth again.

"You seem as though you are quite familiar with flying or hang gliding as it were" I said. This caused a small grin to curl upon his lips.

"In a manner of speaking I suppose, but that is best saved for another time. I do believe that it is time for you to be resting. You look as though you may fall asleep any moment Tatsumi" he said, standing up from his chair and walking over to me. He then helped to lay me down in bed, pulling the covers over me. I swear, I felt like a child as he did this. It had been so many years since ANYONE had done anything like this for me. "Goodnight Tatsumi" he called from the door.

"Goodnight…Lord Folken" I whispered, though I was sure that he heard me as he shut the door behind him. It seemed as though he were trying to get around my question for some reason, though I didn't really know why. Now that I think about it, it was actually a stupid question to begin with anyway. Great…now, I feel like an idiot for asking such a dumb question. I sighed quietly as I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on something else. Shortly after, I found myself asleep in dream world.

**Ok, there's chapter 5. I hope everyone enjoyed. Remember to REVIEW so that I know what you think? Support on my work is always welcomed and appreciated. Also, chapter 6 will be up soon. Pleasant reading. Byebye.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Escaflowne**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 6**

_I just laid there in darkness for a while, I don't really know how long, but it seemed like an eternity to me. That was until a noise met my ears, an echo of sorts that started to come from all around me. It was like the sound of gun fire, shots ringing out everywhere. I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest as the noise grew closer. Suddenly, everything around me burst into color, like a kaleidoscope. It was like magic. The magic disappeared though, almost as soon as it had come, leaving me in the shadow of a tree._

_When I looked around me, I found myself standing in what appeared to be a forest. I was left in complete silence now, not a sound was to be heard for miles around me, not a single sound. Even the chirping of crickets were nonexistent in this place._

"_Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing throughout the trees. "Hello?" I called again, my hands coned around the opening of my mouth. Still, there was no answer to meet my ears, not a one. Though as I turned my back, I heard something calling out to me._

"_Hello?" it called, startling me._

"_Hello?" my voice echoed back to it._

"_Hello…" it said, coming closer. I could now see it; it was a man in a blue tunic. Although, it was not just any man, but Lord Folken himself. When I looked down at myself, I found that I was dressed in a white dress, and that my knee what scrapped. Déjà vu._

"_Folken?"_

"_Tatsumi?" He looked as shocked as I was. It was as if we were both very much aware of one another._

"_What's going on?" I asked, a look of confusion written across my face. The sad part was, he seemed to be as clueless on the matter as I was._

"_I'm not sure, one moment I'm sitting at my window, and then the next I'm here" he explained, looking as baffled as ever. "I didn't even realize that I was tired" he told me. How can you be asleep if you're not tired though? I mean, that made absolutely no sense what so ever to me._

_Suddenly as we stood there, my necklace appeared before us, glowing brightly in the darkness. "W-what's going on?" I squealed lightly out of fear. This stone was indeed starting to scare me and I soon found myself coming to stand by Lord Folken, clutching his arm in my hands. He looked down at me for a moment, giving me a reassuring look as he stood there, before gazing back at the stone. It continued to shine brighter than ever, before exploding in light, causing and invisible force to blow us backwards. As we hit the ground, I landed on Lord Folken, his arms secured around me in a protective way. I felt heat rise to my face as I looked at him, though I didn't get to continue for long, before we were roughly thrown forward. He held me close, protecting my head from the ground. I let out a small whimper as we laid there, scared._

When I opened my eyes, I found myself before a lake, Lord Folken by my side. I jumped when I realized this, causing me to knock my head into the ground. I let out a whimper as I held my head in pain. I looked over as he began to wake, opening his eyes as he sat up properly, looking around. "Tatsumi?" he asked with a questionable look on his face. I just stared at him for a moment, not really sure what to say.

"Hi?" I laughed nervously, causing him to raise an eyebrow in question to my response. My eyes went wide when my necklace started glowing again. "No! No, no, no!" I shouted, before quickly removing it from my neck and tossing it into the lake. Then, almost as if reacting to the water, it burst into light sending waves of energy all around us. I grew increasingly worried when it started to pull me in, the water rising above the lake and into the air. I cried out in fear, quickly grabbing onto a thin tree, wrapping my arms around it. My legs slowly started to lift off of the ground as it pulled me. "Help!?" I cried out, watching as Lord Folken ran to me, quickly wrapping his arms around me.

"Don't worry, I've got you Tatsumi, I won't let go" he told me as he too started fighting against the suction. I screamed when it pulled us into the now empty lake, tumbling against the hard ground as we rolling down it. Lord Folken kept his arms around me the entire time, trying to protect me as best he could as he made sure to take most of the damage. Eventually, we found ourselves plummeting down into a small hole at the bottom of the lake, and going straight through the ground. When we finally landed, we hit the ground hard, an audible groan coming from both of us. Man were we sore, though I'm sure that Folken was far worse than I was.

"L-Lord Folken?" I whispered, touching his shoulder lightly. I bet that it's probably broken or something. He groaned in response. I took my hand, brushing it lightly against his face, removing any hairs that might be there. Moments later, the sound of rushing water met my ears and my feet became wet. It must have been an underground water stream. Right as I finished that thought, something hit me in the back of the head. "Ow!" I moaned, rubbing my head, then turned it to look at the glowing stone. "You again…" I whispered lightly. Then again, I guess I _am_ glad to see that things again, at least now I can see what's actually around me.

Once I picked it up, I brought the stone near Folken's face, wincing once I saw it. His nose was broken from the fall, blood seeping out of it, he also had a few bruises slowly forming as well. "Lord Folken?" I called out his name, my hand resting upon his cheek. He opened his eyes to look at me.

"Tatsumi…are you alright?" he asked me, not paying any attention to his own pain.

"I'm fine Lord Folken, but what about you?" I asked as I helped him sit up properly. I watched as he brought his hand to his nose, wincing. I quickly grabbed it, pulling it away.

"Painfully intact" he told me. I grimaced for a moment, knowing what I would have to do next. Slowly, I brought my hand to his face.

"I apologize for this Lord Folken, but this is going to hurt" I told him, taking hold of his nose and re-braking it to put it back in place. It was obvious that he had to grit his teeth and bite his tongue to prevent yelling out. "Sorry…" I whispered, tearing a bit of my sleeve and dipping it into the water. I carefully brought it to his face, cleaning it gently. The whole time, his eyes were on me, watching me intently. Once I was done with his face, I took one of his hand, whipping the cuts and scrapes gently to remove the dirt and blood. I took my teeth and tore some more of my shirt, tearing it into thin strips of cloth. I then took hold of his hand, carefully wrapping a piece around it, tying it once I was done. I then did the same to his other hand. After I was finished with that, I took the time to look him over for any other cuts. I came across one that was on this upper arm, the arm that looked like it was broken. "Lord Folken, can you move your arm?" I asked, he shook his head no.

"I think I dislocated it" he told me. Dislocated it? Oh Lord, this was not going to be pretty. I gulped as I looked at him. "You're going to have to pop it back into place for me Tatsumi" he told me. Great, one thing that I had hoped he wouldn't have me do. I nodded my head, scooting closer to him. He watched my every move. Here goes nothing… With that, I quickly twisted his arm and shoved it up into place. The sound of it going in could be heard echoing all over the cavern. "Ah…" he breathed out in pain, now having use of his arm again. "Thank you Tatsumi" he said, taking my hand in his and kissing it softly in thanks. I smiled faintly, even though my cheeks were slightly red.

"You're welcome" I said, taking the wet cloth I had and began cleaning the cut on his arm. I could feel him relax from the coolness of it as I squeezed the piece of material letting water run down his arm. After that, I wrung it out a few times, before dabbing at his arm again, cleaning it of the blood and dirt that had gotten into the wound. Once I was finished, I wrapped his arm up. Of course, that was only after we had removed his heavy jacket. Man that thing was thick.

When we were done, we drank some water from the small stream, splashing it upon our faces. I winced though when it hit my face, causing Folken to look over at me with curious eyes. I blushed when he took my face into his hand, examining it. There, he found a semi deep cut that I had neglected to notice. I winced as he touched, trying to pull away, but he wouldn't let me. He just took the cloth from me, dipping it in the water, before dabbing it lightly against my face. I eased up a bit as he did this, closing my eyes and enjoying the feeling of the soothing water. After that, he ripped a small piece of his sleeve, placing it upon my cheek. The little bit of blood that soaked it, caused it to stick to my face, keeping out any possible infection.

"Thank you" I whispered quietly, smiling at him. He smiled back at me, before standing up, my necklace hanging from his fingers.

"Now, why don't we try and find a way out of here?" he suggested, taking hold of my hand. I nodded my head in agreement as I stood up beside him, holding onto his hand, so as not to fall. The ground was slightly slippery in different places and since I didn't have any shoes on, it really didn't help matters very much at all.

The walk itself was made in silence as our feet treaded across the ground, the only thing guiding us, was the light of my necklace as it shone brightly throughout the cavern. If it weren't for my necklace, we would be left in complete and utter darkness right now.

"Lord Folken?" I called to him, deciding to brake the silence that had captivated us.

"Yes Tatsumi?" he answered as he glanced down at me, hand still in mine as the other held my necklace out at an arm's length. I looked up at him for a moment, before turning my eyes ahead.

"Do you…think that we'll find anything down here?" I asked curiously, wondering if indeed, anything was down here with us.

"It's hard to say. In fact, I never even realized that this was here. We are actually somewhere beneath Lake Fanelia, a beauty of my childhood home" he explained.

"Fanelia?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Yes, Fanelia. It was once a great kingdom…one in which I should have reigned king" he said, whispered the last part.

"Lord Folken…would you mind terribly if I asked your full name?" I asked this a bit timidly, causing him to laugh.

"If you must know, my true name is Folken Lacour de Fanel" he told me.

"Folken Lacour de Fanel" I whispered faintly, earning yet another chuckle from him. I blushed lightly at this, slightly embarrassed.

"Now my dear Tatsumi, since I have graciously supplied you with mine, would mind telling me of your full name?" he inquired. I gave him a small smile before nodding my head.

"It's Tatsumi Cue Rikota" I told him, embarrassed at my middle name. It was just so random and odd. I then heard him chuckle yet again. Oh no…

"Hm…Tatsumi _Cue_ Rikota, huh? Interesting. Umi Cue" I blushed at the nickname.

"U-Umi Cue?" I stuttered a bit. He nodded his head, a small wavering grin on his handsome face.

"I like it" he said.

"But it sounds like a Sea Cucumber!" I protested, causing him to laugh.

"A what?" he asked.

"A Sea Cucumber…a vegetable!" I exclaimed, slightly annoyed.

"A vegetable, huh, those normally give a _snap_ don't they?" he asked again, knowing exactly what to say to make me go red. I pulled away from him, walking ahead a few feet. "Tatsumi, wait, that's dangerous!" he called to me, but it was too late. I had already taken that final step and walked right off of the edge screaming. The pain that I felt in my body was horrendous as I tumbled down a steep slope, tumbling right down to the bottom. "Tatsumi? Tatsumi!?" I heard him call from above, but I didn't respond as I laid against something cold and hard.

I groaned as I opened my eyes, seeing the faint light of my necklace glowing. He couldn't see me as he called out to me. _Glow brighter…shine brighter…_ I whispered in my head, urging the stone to glow. Surprisingly enough, it did and was now glowing with a burning intensity. Though when I was finally able to see what I had hit, I let out a yelp of surprise. I could hear Folken gasping as he saw what was in front of him.

There before us, sat an ancient dragon armor that had been long forgotten in time. The armor itself was fairly large, the metal a silver color, with blue gems adorning it. It was amazing to say the least, that was for sure. In fact, it even looked larger than Folken's dragon armor was. I watched as Folken leapt over the edge, quickly sliding down to meet me. Once he reached me, he knelt down beside me, looking me over. "Tatsumi, are you alright?" he asked, brushing a bit of hair out of my face, causing me to wince. I think I hit my head on the way down. I definitely know that I hit my back pretty bad, and that it hurt to move.

"My back…" I groaned, rolling onto my side, quickly crying out in pain. He held me down for a moment, keeping me from moving any further. Whenever I moved a surge of pain shot through my back mercilessly, leaving me gritting my teeth or biting my tongue. He looked down at me with sympathy as he pulled me up a bit. After a few minutes, he raised me into a sitting position.

"Tatsumi, I'm going to have to put you on my back okay? I know it might hurt, but it has to be done" he informed me, before lifting me up quickly and swinging me onto his back. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck as his hands and arms made their way to my legs, holding me up better.

**Ok everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope you decide to review. No one has given me any reviews for this story yet and it saddens me greatly. Even if it's an anonomus review it would be appreciated. Sigh. Well, I have to go to bed. Pleasant reading. Byebye.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Escaflowne**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 7**

I found myself groaning as we moved, my necklace now resting around Folken's neck, light still shining brightly from the intricate and delicate looking blue stone. It seemed as though Folken were trying to climb the machine itself, scratch that, he _was_ trying to climb it. I wincing as he made a jump, grabbing at one of the grooves in the armor, his grip slipping on my legs. I squealed, frightened as I held tightly to him, merely causing myself more pain. "Hold on Tatsumi, just hold on" he told me, continuing to climb up the large machine. After a few minutes, he finally managed to get on top of the shoulder, carefully setting me down. He knelt down beside me, gently placing a hand upon my cheek. "Are you alright now Tatsumi?" he asked kindly. I looked up at him, trying to hold back tears of pain, but a few slipped out.

"It hurts Lord Folken" I said, whimpering like a small child. It was pathetic really… He continued to look at me, a strange emotion lacing his eyes that I could not recognize.

"I promise Tatsumi…I'll get us out of here, okay?" he asked, giving me a small smile. I nodded my head slowly, trying to keep from hurting myself, but still winced in pain. He brushed some hair out of my face, placing it gently behind my ear, before standing up and turning to the machine. He took my necklace from his neck, wrapping it securely around his wrist as he examined the machine. He traced a long finger over one of the large gems, finding it to be as smooth as if it were cut yesterday. "How is this possible…?" he whispered quietly to himself.

Against my better judgment and against the obvious and utter pain in my body, I rose from my spot, walking over to him. I set down beside him, wincing as I did. "This is it…isn't Lord Folken?" I asked quietly. "The one from the vision?" He turned to look at me, nodding his head, answering my awaiting question wordlessly for a brief moment.

"That it is my dear, that it is" his voice spoke softly into the moist air around us, his eyes resting to lock on mine. "If I'm right, we're directly under one of the long abandoned cities. That means that we should be able to get out of here without _too_ much of a problem" he told me, standing up and holding the stone out in front of him. "ARISE!" he called out, quickly grabbing hold of me as the stone glowed, coming loose from his wrist. It rose up a bit as Folken held me close to him, my back resting against his chest. We watched as the dragon armor slowly came to life. Folken quickly spread his feet a bit more, keeping us balanced as the armor shook a bit. Once it calmed down, the hatch opened up for us, allowing us inside. Folken snatched my necklace before we entered, placing it back around my neck. Once we entered, the hatch closed, a few lights suddenly coming on from a small council.

After looking around and checking the system, he stood upon the platform, turning to me with his hand extended. I took it, allowing him to pull me to him. That's when parts of the machine attempted to fuse around us. I let out a cry of pain as it squeezed on my leg. Almost as if sensing my dismay, it automatically let go, letting me collapse to my knees. Folken knelt down in front of me, looking at my leg. That's when he found that it was bleeding freely. How he had gone without noticing it, he didn't know, but he knew that he had to take care of it.

I closed my eyes, feeling as he removed a thin cut of rock from my leg. I squeezed my eyes shut further, tears falling from the pain. My hand was twitching as a result of this all. Quickly, Folken drew my face into his upper chest, whispering into my ear. "This is going to hurt…" Without second thought, he gave a sharp pull on my leg. A scream escaped my lips as he set the bone, tears streaming down my face from the pain. My head was buried in his shirt, my shoulders shaking as he kept my upper half firmly against him. "I apologize Tatsumi…but I had to do it" he said softly, kissing my hair, trying to comfort me. The pain was unbearable to the max. I had never felt such pain in my life, it was gut wrenching.

"I…u-understand" I managed to choke out through the pain. Shortly after, I found my vision becoming distorted and deformed. My eyes began failing me, unable to concentrate and keep things in line. "Folken…" I whispered faintly, before everything went black around me and I fell into darkness itself.

"Tatsumi?" he tried calling my name, but received no response. He gave me a worried look, before turning to my leg, blood continuing to leak out. This wasn't good at all. I was starting to lose too much blood from the injury, I was just lucky that he set the bone in my leg so that I wouldn't end up with bone marrow poisoning in my blood.

Quickly, Folken removed his thick jacket, before removing his white undershirt. He made quick work in ripping it to shreds, trying his best to wrap my leg, trying to stop the bleeding. The problem was it just kept leaking out through the cloth. He was now acknowledging that I had blacked out as a result of blood loss.

"Come on Tatsumi, hang on" he whispered into my ear. "Hang on"

He didn't noticing the armor reacting to my blood, before it started moving that is. Once it started moving, he grabbed hold of me, keeping me close to him. The dragon armor suddenly shot up through the ground, shattering it. Folken had been right, we were under an abandoned city. As the armor eventually came to the surface, rocks fell around it.

"Keep moving! Please!?" Folken called out desperately, wishing to get me help before I ended up bleeding to death. "Please! Hurry!" he called out once more, keeping pressure on my leg as much as possible. The armor responded to his pleas for help, continuing to move forward, pulling through the rubble.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, it finally managed to pull itself to the top. The dirt fell from its shoulders as it stood to its full height, towering over everything around it. Quickly, Folken went over to the panel, putting something in the system. To his utter surprise, it actually decided to work, following its orders. It made quick work to where Lord Folken dwelled, moving as quickly as it could for a machine.

Folken sighed as he held me against him, hoping to arrive soon, though he knew that we were a ways away. "Tatsumi…" he whispered my name, looking down at the growing pull of blood around us. He knew that I needed immediate help, which was for sure.

As I laid there, I had no knowledge of what was going on around me. Everything was dark as night, pitch black to the extreme. That is, before I started to dream.

"_Tatsumi, sweetie, what are you doing?" my mother asked a 7 year old me._

"_I'm flying Mommy" I said, laughing as I ran around the yard, my arms extended as I pretended to be a plane or something. She laughed at this, the softness resonating through the yard itself. She knelt down on the side of the yard, arms extended._

"_Tatsumi, come here sweetie" she said. I smiled as I ran to her, jumping into her arms. "Do you know what today is Tatsumi?" she asked me. I nodded my head rapidly, a full out grin on my face._

"_It's my birthday Mommy" I said, grinning from ear to ear. She smiled and laughed._

"_That's right and I have a special present for you" she said, pulling a very small package from her pocket. My eyes went wide with anticipation._

"_What is it Mommy, what is it?" I asked excitedly. She just smiled at me, placing it into my hands, closing my fingers around it._

"_Why don't you open it and find out?" she suggested. I nodded my head, sitting on the ground as I made quick work of opening it. I tore through the paper quickly, unfolding it, though not before placing the bow on my head first. That was always my favorite part. Eventually, I came to a piece of cloth, about the size of my hand. I smiled at how soft it was. It was just so smooth, almost like a feather._

_I let out a gasp when I unfolded it, a necklace sitting in the palm of my hand. It was a medium sea blue stone, with silver attachments on the top and bottom. It also lay around a thin black cord._

"_Wow! It's so pretty" I exclaimed happily, holding it above my head. My mother smiled at me as she watched me._

"_Here, let me help you with that" she said, taking it from my hands and placing it around my neck. I smiled, gripping it in my hands, holding it up to my face._

"_Pretty!" I squealed with delight. My mother just smiled at me, patting my head affectionately._

"_Now sweetie, I'm going to tell you a story, okay?" she asked. I nodded my head quickly. "You see…Grandma gave this to me before she died. Her mother gave it to her when she was about your age Tatsumi"_

"_Really?" I asked._

"_Really" she said, nodding her head. "She got it from her mother, who had gotten it from her mother before her" she told me. Wow, that's a lot of giving, I thought to myself. "You see Tatsumi, this necklace has special powers, but with every power comes responsibility" she said firmly. I don't like responsibility, its boring… "This belonged to Granny Bell a long, long, long time ago" she explained, making sure to keep my attention. "You have to promise me that you'll take good care of this Tatsumi. It's very important that you do because you'll need it someday" she said. Although, I didn't know what I would possibly need it for, but I nodded my head anyway. "Now promise me Tatsumi? Say, "I promise Mommy that I will take good care of it"" she said. I groaned on the inside, but did as I was told to do._

"_I promise Mommy that I will take good care of it" I repeated her every word. She smiled at me._

"_Now, go play sweetie" With that, I went back to running around the yard, feeling much lighter than before. Slowly, everything started to fade, and I felt as though I were laying on something. I could faintly hear the sound of beeping. What is that?_

Folken set there by my side as I laid on a bed, a monitor hooked up to me. He seemed sad.

"Please…please wake up Tatsumi?" he whispered, holding my hand in his. He continued to sit there, silently praying that I would wake up. When a faint groan met his ears, he about leapt out of his seat. "Tatsumi?" he asked, looking down at me as I slowly opened his eyes.

"Lord…F-Folken?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. He gave me a grateful smile as he nodded his head.

"Yes, it's me" he told me, stroking my hand gently. I moaned faintly as I shifted, pain evident in my body. When I looked up at him, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days and even though his eyes were happy for the most part, they held a sort of sadness to them.

"Lord Folken…why…why do you look so sad?" I questioned him as I laid there. He merely frowned.

"Tatsumi…you've been sleep for nearly 2 weeks" he informed me. Wait a moment, 2 weeks!? You've got to be kidding me! I groaned again in displeasure. Seriously, two weeks?

It didn't take long before the pains in my stomach made themselves known. I blushed slightly as it grumbled, the sounds being loud enough for both myself and Folken to hear. It only made him laugh.

"Hungry…" I groaned, holding my stomach. He smiled at me for a moment.

"I have an idea" he said, a small grin curling onto his lips.

**Ok everyone, that's chapter 7. I hope that everyone enjoyed it? Please, remember to REVIEW? I'd really like to see what everyone thinks of this story. Please and thank you, and happy reading. Also, I'm going to make this clear on my profile. I've just started college, so I'm not sure how much time that's going to take away from my writing, though I'm going to try and continue as best as I can. Not to mention, I have several other stories that I'm still working on. Plus, after a few more weeks, I'll likely be looking for a job since I haven't been working since about mid summer. I want to thank all of my readers, and please, continue to support me. Thank you.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: The song on here is not mine, it's from the movie Escaflowne. The song, is Sora's song. Enjoy.**

**Escaflowne**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 8**

Before I knew it, we were both sitting in the garden eating. It was so nice outside, so beautiful, so breath taking. "Lord Folken, it's amazing" I said, continuing to look all around me.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" he said, smiling. The whole time, he seemed to be staring at me with an odd look in his eye. I smiled as I looked at him, just enjoying my long awaited meal.

It was an interesting assortment of things, particularly ones that I've never seen before, but they were delicious all the same. I had actually been very surprised when he had taken me out into the gardens, shortly after I had gotten on my feet, but I liked it. Although, I had to admit, I was still in a bit of pain.

"Lord Folken?" I asked, before placing what I would think to be rice in my mouth.

"Yes?" he asked, looking over at me, whipping his mouth a bit. I swallowed the food in my mouth before speaking.

"Everything is delicious" I told him, smiling. He smiled back at me, before grabbing some sort of fruit and handing it to me.

"Here, try this" he said. The fruit in question was a deep blue fruit, sapphire blue, shaped like a tear drop. I looked at him for a moment.

"Do I just bite right into it?" I asked, wanting to be sure on how to eat this strange looking fruit.

"Sure" he said, just smiling away. I raised an eyebrow for a moment, bringing the fruit to my mouth, sinking my teeth into it. Almost right on cue, it nearly exploded on my, juice going all over my face. I just sat there with a blank look on my face. 1…2…3… it was then that he started laughing, he just couldn't hold it in any longer and began laughing hysterically. "Oh dear, I do apologize, it must have been too ripe. The only thing they're good for when they reach that point is juice. Oh dear, how can I make this up to you?" he asked between laughs.

"Do you _really_ want to know?" I asked curiously. He nodded his head in response, only to bring a devious grin on my face. No a moment after he had nodded his head, what was left of the fruit was tossed straight at his face. Now it was _my_ turn to laugh. I swear, the look on his face was priceless.

"Ms. Rikota…?" he called my name.

"Yes, Mr. Fanel?" I asked. He seemed to pause for a moment as I said his last name. He wasn't used to being addressed by his last name. The look on his face soon faded away as he continued to speak.

"I would hope that you know what you've just done?" he asked. I nodded my head in response to his question. Of course I knew what I had done, why wouldn't I? "You've just assaulted a Lord my Lady…that means… _double_ assault on you" he said, quickly tossing a ripe fruit at me, which burst open upon impact. I squealed when this happened. I mean, did he _really_ just do what I think he did? Another fruit hit me. Okay, maybe he did.

"This means war Fanel!" I shouted, grabbing fruit and throwing it at him. It hit him straight in the face.

"Now I must agree Rikota!" he shouted backed, before standing up and coming after me with a bowl of something rather sticky looking. I squealed, quickly attempting to get away, but he grabbed me. No sooner, did I have whatever it was all over me. I then got an idea in my head, turning around and hugging him. "What are you doing?" he asked me curiously, I just grinned, seeing that he now shared in my stickiness. He realized this a few moments later and then began to laugh. "I think that we both need a bath now" he said, smiling down at me.

"I agree" I said, nodding my head.

"Shall we my Lady?" he asked, extending his arm. I smiled at him.

"Certainly my Lord" I responded, hooking my arm with his as he led the way to a bath house. When we got there, we unhooked our arms, the stickiness of our clothes trying to keep us together.

"The left side is for the men, the right is for the women" he told me. I then nodded my head, before running off and changing out of the sticky mess I call my clothes. When I walked back out, I had a towel wrapped around me. Making my way to the water, I slipped the towel off, letting my sink down into the warm depths.

"Is the bath to your liking my little one?" Folken's voice flowed overtop the stone that separated us.

"Yes Lord Folken, it is" I told him.

"And am I safe to assume that you also have that necklace of yours on still?" he asked. This made me curious.

"Yes, why?"

"I was merely curious, since you never seem to take it off" he said. That was true though, I didn't take it off. "Would you mind if I took a look at it?" he asked.

"How?" I questioned. He merely reached his hand through a small opening in the water, hand outstretched for me.

"Can you see my hand?" he asked. I nodded my head, coming closer.

"Yes Lord Folken, I can" I told him. I looked at his hand for a moment, before removing the little keepsake from my neck and placing it into his awaiting hand. When his hand retreated, I blushed. The way he was sitting, I could see part of his but in the water. I quickly turned my head. "Lord Folken?" I asked.

"Yes Tatsumi? What is it?" he questioned.

"Do you have anything that you always wear? Something precious to you, that you never take off?" I asked him curiously.

"Actually…there is" he told me.

"Might I see it?" I asked nicely.

"I don't see why not" Moments later, I could see his hand in the water again, palm opened. I took what was in his hand, looking at it curiously.

"A ring?" I asked.

"Yes" he said. It was a simple silver band, with a dragon carved into it.

"What does it represent for you?" I asked quietly, turning it back and forth in my hands. He seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"Well…it's more than just one thing. It represents my…clan" he said quietly. "But it also represents something else. My mother gave it to me when I was younger. When I marry, it is to be my wedding band, but its also a promise to my mother to cherish my wife" he told me. I smiled at this, for it was truly something special.

"Its lovely" I spoke softly, reaching my hand beneath the water and onto the other side. I blushed when I hit his leg, but kept quiet. A moment later, I felt the ring disappear from my palm, being replaced by my necklace. Though, when I was about to pull my hand away, he held onto my hand for a moment.

"It's nice here, don't you think?" he asked.

"Yes, it is Lord Folken" I spoke softly as I said his name.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind, more like a question really. "Have you ever come close?" I asked, his hand still on mine.

"No" he whispered "I haven't."

"How come? I mean, I'm sure that you've had plenty of women to choose from? Although I know that it's really none of my business" I said.

"No, its alright, really" he said, before pausing for a moment. "Its true, there have been many women, but I suppose I just haven't found the right one yet" he explained. "I have a question" he said.

"What is it?" I asked, leaning my head back a bit, relaxing.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend Tatsumi?" he asked, a curious tone in his voice. I paused for a moment, feeling a bit awkward at the question.

"No…not really" I whispered, sinking into the water a bit more as I drew my hand awake slowly.

"I'm sure you've had at least one Tatsumi?" he questioned. I merely shook my head, even though I knew that he couldn't see it.

"No…not a one…" I remained quiet for a moment after that, before deciding to open up a bit more. "You see Lord Folken, I've never really taken much of an interest in men" I told him.

"Oh, so you prefer women then?" he asked. My face went at least five shades of red when he asked that.

"N-no! That's not what I meant!" I exclaimed, only to be met by the sound of his laughter. After about ten minutes, he finally spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he asked, but I didn't answer. "Tatsumi?...Tatsumi are you still there?" Nothing was heard, not even the sound of the water on my side, not even a breath. The reason why, is that I had already left the bath, and was now outside the bath area. I stood there behind a pillar, a towel wrapped around me covering my undergarments, water dripping from the tips of my hair. Truth be told, I couldn't stay in that water any longer, it was becoming too overwhelming. I could hear the movement of water and the sound of his footstep as I laid the back of my head against the pillar.

"Mmm…" came the soft sound of my voice as I stood there, my knees growing weaker by the second.

"Tatsumi?" he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. He stood there, towel around his waist, and hair dripping wet. I still didn't respond as I stood there, both my heart and the vain in my head pulsing, beating. My legs gave out on me, my back landing against the pillar.

"Mmm…" I moaned faintly.

"Tatsumi, are you alright?" Folken asked, kneeling beside me. In the distance, I could hear someone singing.

_Win dain a lotica_

_En val tu ri_

_Si lo ta_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_En dragu sei lain_

_Vi fa-ru les shutai am_

_En riga-lint_

I could feel myself slipping into sleep as the song rang through my ears.

_Win chent a lotica_

_En val turi_

_Silota_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_Si katigura neuver_

_Floreria for chesti_

_Si entina_

I could hear Folken's voice fading.

_Lalala…fontina blu cent_

_De cravi esca letisimo_

_Lalala…de quantian_

_La finde reve_

After that, everything went black. "Mother" I whispered, before falling into darkness.

_I could see my mother standing there, looking at me, her arms outstretched._

"_Come my little one" she called out to me._

"_Mother?" I called._

"_Yes, my little Tatsumi?" her voice sang to me, pulling me closer._

"_Mother" I whispered._

"_Wake up Tatsumi, wake up and see me" she said. At that moment, everything disappeared in darkness._

When I finally woke up, I let out a startled screech, before knocking my head against the wall. "Ow…" I whined, holding my head, but when I looked up it was gone. Moments later, Folken came running into the room.

"What happened? I heard you scream" he said, running over to me and checking my head. It hurt.

"I…" I looked down. It was impossible. I mean…it couldn't have been…could it?

"Tatsumi?" he placed a hand on my shoulder, concern in his eyes.

"Its nothing…" I whispered, turning my head away. He knew that something was wrong though. My eyes widened when I looked behind him, a few tears forming in my eyes. "How…?"

"Tatsumi?" his brows furrowed in confusion. I quickly pushed passed him, before running out the door and down the hallway. "Tatsumi!" he yelled out for my, but I didn't respond, I just kept running. Though for every two steps I took, he took one as he ran after me. I paid it no attention though as I continued to run down the hall.

"Come…follow me Tatsumi" the woman sang to me.

_Win dain a lotica_

_En val tu ri_

_Si lo ta_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_En dragu sei lain_

_Vi fa-ru les shutai am_

_En riga-lint_

I kept running as fast as I could, running through the doors and outside. All I was wearing was a large white night shirt, with black shorts. Both belonged to Folken from what I could tell. I continued to run, even with the stones beneath my feet.

"Tatsumi, come back!" Folken shouted, but I didn't hear him, I was concentrated on running after the woman in front of me.

_Win chent a lotica_

_En val turi_

_Silota_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_Si katigura neuver_

_Floreria for chesti_

_Si entina_

The singing seemed to keep driving me forward, calling to me. I just wouldn't stop running; it was almost as if it were putting me in a slight trance or something. In fact, my legs seemed to have a mind of their own as they ran across the garden.

_Lalala…fontina blu cent_

_De cravi esca letisimo_

_Lalala…de quantian_

_La finde reve_

She just kept singing to me, drowning out any shouts that Folken made in an attempt for me to hear. I heard nothing else, nothing, but the sound of her singing.

_Win dain a lotica_

_En val tu ri_

_Si lo ta_

_Fin dein a loluca_

_En dragu sei lain_

_Vi fa-ru les shutai am_

_En riga-lint_

"That's right, just follow me…Tatsumi" her voice echoed.

I never even noticed the slight burning of the stone that lay against my chest. I just kept running as if in my own little world. Nothing else around me seemed to register at all, just the need to keep running. My mind soon became overwhelmed with images of my past.

"_Mommy!" I cried out, running forward into the woman's arms._

"_Tatsumi" she cooed, holding me in her arms. "Promise me little one, that you'll always be as sweet as you are now?"_

"_I promise Mommy. I'll always be a good girl" I told her, smiling up at her._

"_That's my girl" she whispered, kissing my forehead._

_-_

"_Tatsumi, time to come inside" my mother called from the cottage, but I didn't listen. I just kept swinging on the small swing that was attached to the large, bulky tree limb above my head as I hummed._

_-_

"_Mommy, Mommy, look what I found" I exclaimed, running to her, my hands clamped around something._

"_What is it sweetie?" she asked, kneeling down in front of me with a smile on her face. I opened my hands to show her what I found._

"_I found a froggy Mommy" I said, grinning from ear to ear. The little green frog just sat there, croaking in my tiny hands._

Suddenly, everything stopped, along with the singing. When I looked around, I found myself in the forest, alone. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone. I turned around when they moved closer.

"M-mother?" I nearly choked as I stared at her. I didn't understand what was going on; she's been dead for years. I stood there as she drew closer to me with every step that she took. I watched as a grin was soon plastered on her face.

"Such a silly girl" it said, but that wasn't my mother's voice, it was far from it. I watched in horror as the creature morphed into something else. Once finished, I found it to be a man with strange greenish blue skin, and golden eyes. Out of fear, I started taking steps backwards. I kept taking steps back, only to have him continue stepping forward. Soon, I found myself backed into a tree, with him hovering over me. "Such a silly girl" it taunted again, grinning as he stepped even closer. I scooted back against the tree as far as I could go, but it didn't seem to help me that much. "Always such a silly girl you are" he laughed, placing a hand on either side of my head on the tree.

"W-what do you w-want?" I stuttered, shaking in fear. He just laughed at me.

"My, how you've grown" he said, completely ignoring my question. "From such a little girl to this" he said, chuckling.

_What in the world is he talking about?_ I asked quietly in my head.

"Mommy and Daddy were always in the way, but now there's no one here" he practically purred out. I was too scared to even move at this point. He then leaned in, lips merely an inch away from my ear. "Did I do a good job in getting rid of Mommy?" he cooed softly. At that moment, my eyes went wide, my breathing becoming shaky.

"Y-you…k-killed her?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"The tree was a nice touch, don't you think so?" he asked, chuckling loudly. I stared at him as something inside me churned, before suddenly snapping.

"You bastard…" I whispered, my hands curling at my sides. I could feel my nails digging into my palms as my knuckles started turning white. "You bastard!" I shouted. Before I could even hit him, he slammed me up against the tree, knocking my head into it painfully.

"Now, now, now…there's no need for shouting" he said, moving his finger back and forth. He then grabbed me by my hair, before throwing me to the ground roughly. I cried out in pain as I hit the ground. Moments later, he was on top of me, my face in the dirt as he held my arm tightly behind my back. I cried out in pain again as he pulled it further, twisting it. I then cried out the first thing that came to mind.

"FOLKEN!!!" I yelled, praying that he might hear me. "FOLKEN!!!" I yelled again, struggling against the man on top of me, only resulting in causing myself more pain.

**Ok, there's chapter 8. I hope that everyone enjoyed it. Please, remember to REVIEW? I'd like to know what everyone thinks. Please and thank you. Bye bye and pleasant reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Escaflowne**

**The Final Kindred Spirit**

**Chapter 9**

The whole time that I had been running, Folken had been running after me. It wasn't until he came upon the forest that he stopped. He had barely caught a glimpse of what it was that I had been chasing, but he knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Upon hearing my distant cries of pain, he ran forward into the forest, intent on finding me.

"FOLKEN!!!" he heard me yell out for him, my voice bouncing against the trees, before reaching his ears. He darted forward, running in the direction that it came from. "FOLKEN!!!" he heard me shout again, causing him to run even faster.

"Tatsumi!? Where are you?" he called out, brushing passed the trees and branches in front of him. His strong, determined voice pushed me to try again.

"FOLKE-!!!" I didn't finish as the man pushed my face into the ground, shutting me up. I could taste the dirt in my mouth, coating my tongue with its earthy bitterness. I spat it out with disgust and distaste, yearning to rid myself of it.

"Be quiet you little brat" he said, quickly moving to cover my mouth with his hand, only to have me bite him instead. He yelped in pain, holding his hand. Then, before I could even do anything, he lashed out at me. He slammed my head roughly against the forest floor, a sharp pain quickly making itself known inside my head. A faint moan is all that escaped my lips as I laid there.

"Folken…" I whispered, battling against the pain in my head.

"Don't worry, he won't be able to save you" he said, chuckling to himself as he continued to hold me against the ground with his weight.

"Tatsumi!?" I could hear Folken call my name, but it was a bit fuzzy as it went in and out of my ears.

"That's it, just relax and let the darkness take over" the man cooed softly into my ear as something thin and sharp pierced the skin of my neck. On contact, my world began to spin, soon leaving me in a dark nothing. The last thing I heard, was the sound of footsteps running closer.

Once the man was sure that I was unconscious, he stood up, getting off of me. He pushed his foot against my shoulder, turning me onto my back. I was oblivious as to how pathetic I looked right now. The shirt that I was wearing, was slightly shredded now. My hair clung to my face, a faint mixture of dirt and blood soiling it. Then of course, my feet were also red and scraped up. I really was a sight for sore eyes.

"You always were trouble" he said to my unconscious self, before turning around to face the oncoming intruder.

"A shape shifter, I should have known" Folken said with distaste as he walked out of the shadows of the trees. His eyes then trailed to what lay on the ground behind the man. It was me. Anger suddenly began to rise inside of him as he glared at the man. "What did you do to her?" he asked, demanding an answer from the shape shifter. He just laughed at him.

"Don't worry, she's merely unconscious right now" he informed him. "I must say though, she was rather easy to fool. After all, I _did_ kill her mother, so she knew that she was long dead" he told him with a twisted grin upon his face. The look made Folken feel sick to his stomach.

"You're sick" Folken spat, furious at what this man had done.

"Oh, don't worry, she's well aware of that now. She got a bit feisty when I told her. It was rather amusing really." This just pushed Folken even further. "Although, I'm sure you'd know all about that, wouldn't you Lord Folken?" Folken growled a bit at what the man was implying. Folken then watched as the creature knelt down beside me, deliberately placing a hand on my cheek, stroking it.

"Get off of her" Folken growled, advancing toward the man. He was stopped though when the creatures hand went to my throat, his nails extending, becoming sharp and pointed as it dug into my skin a bit.

"Now, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Wouldn't want her getting _hurt_ would we?" the man asked coyly. "Oh, and one more thing, I have a message for you from Lord Barren. "What do you think of me now Fanel?"" Before Folken could even react, the shape shifter vanished in a cloud of smoke, taking me with him.

"Tatsumi!" Folken called out, but it was no use, I was already gone.

Folken just glared at the ground, his hands balled up into fists as he stood there. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He knew that Lord Barren would likely pull something like this eventually, but he hadn't expected it would turn out like this.

"Barren…you're a dead man" he growled, before turning around and walking out of the forest. He knew that what would happen next, wouldn't be easy at all. In fact, it would be quite dangerous.

When I finally woke up, I found myself with a splitting headache. I also noticed how weak I felt. I found myself in a small cell, laying on the cold ground. It was dark and damp all around me, giving it an eerie feeling, leaving me a bit frightened. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of footsteps. They echoed all around, bouncing off of the walls. I quickly scooted back against the wall as far as I could, hoping to hide myself, even though I knew that it wasn't going to happen.

I looked up as a man stood in front of the cell. He was a tall bulky man, with dark hair and icy blue eyes. He was a bit intimidating.

"Ah, I see that you're finally awake" he said, opening the cell and stepping inside. He then knelt down in front of me, kneeling on one knee. "My, you're a pretty one you are" he spoke softly, reaching out to touch my hair, but I moved away from his hand. "Come now, I won't hurt you" he said, making sure to keep his voice low and non-threatening.

"Then why am I here?" I asked, staring at him "and who are you?" He chuckled at hearing this.

"How rude of me, where are my manners? _I_ am Lord Barren" he said, introducing himself before taking a short bow. I watched him carefully, not willing to trust him. "Now, might I ask for the young ladies name?" he asked, giving me a sly smile. I just turned my head away, not wanting to talk to him.

"I told you she was a feisty one Master" I know that voice; it was the same guy that brought me here.

"Yes, I can see that Koon" Lord Barren said, staring at me again. I watched as 'Koon' walked into the cell as well, walking towards me.

"Nice to see you again…Tatsumi. Did you have a nice nap?" he asked. I just glared at him and if looks could kill, he'd be 6 feet under right now. "Oh, why such a sour face?" he asked, chuckling. I personally didn't find any of this to be funny at all. I backed up some more when he came to stand in front of me.

"Get away from me you monster" I spat bitterly at him, not wanting him anywhere near me.

"May I Master?" Koon asked, his eyes glued to mine. Lord Barren sighed, before walking out of the cell and closing the door.

"Go ahead" he said, causing Koon to grin maliciously. I slowly backed up further as I watched, soon becoming scared as he advanced toward me.

"My pleasure…" he whispered happily, before lunging at me, his hand around my throat. I gasped for air, clawing at his hand the best I could as he lifted me a few inches above the ground, slamming me against the wall. I cried out in pain, only to have my air supply lessened as a result.

"F…Fol…ken…" I gasped out, only resulting in him growling at me, shoving me against the wall further.

"You're little lover boy isn't going to save you Tatsumi" he growled lightly into my ear, causing me to cringe.

_I want out of here_ I cried out in my head, pleading for help of any sort. Moments later, Koon pulled his hand back in pain as my necklace began to glow. I then disappeared right before his eyes, vanishing from sight. He then let out a furious yell, racing out of the cell and down the halls.

Minutes later, I found myself appearing in a dark hallway, no torches or anything. I froze in my spot though when I heard Koon's voice.

"There you are, you sneaky little thing" he said, quickly advancing on me from within the dark. Without even thinking, I ran, running as fast as I possibly could down a hall for which I knew nothing of.

Quickly, he appeared in front of me, before having his hand around my throat again. He shoved me against one of the tall pillars in the hall, gazing at me strangely.

"What kind of sorcery was that girl?" he asked, squeezing my neck for emphasis. I made a choking noise as he did this, once again gasping for air. I began grabbing at his hand, holding onto it as I tried to pry it away from my throat, but it did me little good. I then tried kicking him. I kicked him right between the legs as hard as I could, causing him to let go of me. At least that got me a chance to breathe again. I watched as he laid there on the ground in pain, while I remained gasping for breath, letting it fill my lungs once more.

"I want out of here…" I whispered quietly. Then, almost as if on cue, there's an explosion. Part of the wall was suddenly blown away, alarms going off. Soldiers ran down the halls, shouting as they ran.

"INTRUDERS!" they yelled. I felt a spark of hope at this.

"Folken?" I got up, only to fall forward as Koon grabbed hold of my leg, jerking me down. "Ah! Let go!" I shouted, tossing my other leg at him, kicking him in the face. He growled at me, grabbing my other leg and twisting me around. I landed hard on my back with a grunt.

"Where do you think you're going?" I groaned in annoyance, trying to pull free, but he held onto my legs with an iron grip. Soldiers were still running around frantically, trying to figure out who it was. The walls shook with another explosion, pillars coming loose and falling. I let out a scream, turning my body over as much as I could, before covering my head with my hands. I winced as the ceiling came down in our hall, showering us with stone. I coughed as dust from the debris filled my lungs, coating it in a thin film. That itself, threw me into a painful coughing fit. My eyes widened when I looked behind me. Koon had transformed into a large grizzly bear from my world, protecting himself from the rubble. I screamed when he let out a raging roar, throwing the rocks off of himself, before looking down at me. He growled at me, teeth showing. If I could have backed away, then I would have, but I was trapped beneath the rubble. I didn't make another sound, until I felt the shattering of my leg. I let out an ear piercing scream as he stepped on my leg, placing his full weight upon it, shattering it to pieces. Tears poured down my face as I lay there in pain, a feeling of lightning shooting through my veins. I shook from the pain that flowed freely through my trembling body as it became a raging fire upon itself. He cared not for my pain, merely going into a rampage of fury.

Suddenly, more was blown away, stones knocking into the walls mercilessly. I could do nothing, but lay there in pain, listening to the constant sounds of the soldiers.

"Raise altitude!" someone shouted, running back from where the others continued toward.

"Koon! Leave her be, we need your help shape shifter!" another one said, yelling at him. He just growled, before walking away from me, knowing that I couldn't go anywhere even if I wanted to. As more of the wall fell away, I could see the outside; the sky. We were in the air. When I looked out, I saw a small air ship near us, firing their weapons at us.

I closed my eyes as I lay there with no thoughts to my mind. I just started to give into the nothingness, before the ship gave out a painful jerk, freeing me from my rocky imprisonment. I was then sent flying through the small hole in the wall, only to land on a lower deck. I gasped as I hit the ground, trying not to scream from the pain in my leg. The ship turned its heading again, causing me to hold onto the railing bars.

"What's going on?" I asked quietly, knowing of course that I wouldn't be getting any answers from anyone.

"There she is!" I heard someone yell from behind. I turned around to see soldiers from both sides. My eyes widened as I backed up against the rail, wincing at the pain in my leg.

"Lord Folken! It's Lady Tatsumi!" someone yelled from one of the hovering mechs. I looked up to see one of Folken's soldiers. Upon seeing this, I looked around for Lord Folken, searching for him. I quickly covered my ears as others fired at the spot near me, destroying the area around me. I watched as the railing started to brake off, falling to the canyon below, little by little.

"Tatsumi!" I heard Folken yell as he came running forward, cutting through enemies with his sword, blood staining the ground. The bar behind me suddenly fell loose as the ship gave another jerk from an explosion, sending me over board. "TATSUMI!" Folken yelled, running forward. More men tried to stop him, but he just continued to cut through them like they were nothing at all.

My eyes started to water as I fell through the sky, my hair whipping around me furiously, along with the wind. The wind brushed against my skin rapidly, soothing it, yet stinging it at the same time. I could feel my fingertips starting to go numb as I continued to fall through the sky at an astonishing speed, closing my eyes as I started to give up. That's when I heard Folken yell my name again, causing me to look up. He too was falling through the sky. He had jumped in order to try and save me, but what would be the use? We'd both be dead once we hit the ground.

"Folken…" I whispered, watching as he got closer to me, but he just couldn't seem to get close enough. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the sadness and desperation in his soul, the pure longing in his eyes. Unknown to me, my stone was glowing beneath my shirt. It was his pure desperation that caught my attention. I then saw the sudden pain and shock in his eyes. Suddenly, large, white wings burst from his back. I stared in utter shock and amazement as I saw his wings; they were beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I watched as he stretched his wings with a new found hope. He gave me a strange smile as he flew down toward me, reaching out his hand. I smiled as I reached for his hand, grabbing it when he was close enough. He then pulled me up into his arms, holding me. "Folken…" I whispered, a few tears falling as I said his name. I had really thought that that was it, that that was the end, that I was really going to die. He saved me from that fate, and for that I am eternally grateful.

"Tatsumi…" he said quietly, holding me to him as he flew, flying off to nowhere in particular.

**Ok, that was chapter 9. I hope that everyone enjoyed and I hope that it met your expectations and more. Please don't forget to REVIEW? I'd love to know what you think about this chapter. I hope you continue to enjoy reading my stories. Pleasent reading. Byebye.**


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